Black Widow
by Joryn282
Summary: One year after the battle for Earth, the galaxy is still recovering from the aftermath. Space stations and Mass Relays are being rebuilt while relief missions are underway. A smuggler team is enlisted by the Systems Alliance to help with the relief efforts, however, they may be in for more than they bargained for.
1. Prologue

4

**Prologue**

**2186 - Battle for Earth:**

"Protect the Crucible, at any cost!" Admiral Hackett commanded over all tactical channels.

The combined military might of the known galaxy was assembled in the Sol system, and their only hope to defeat the Reapers, the Crucible, was on its way to the Citadel, which was surrounded by them.

"Captain Trygg!" the turian helmsman of a small cargo ship exclaimed over the din of crew battle operations. "We should get out of here! This is suicide! We have no loyalties to any of these people!"

"What? Are you insane?" Captain Trygg furiously exclaimed as he glared at his XO.

He moved a lock of brown hair from in front of his hazel eyes and then pointed out the window.

"You want to leave now? We're at the home stretch! What happened to that famous turian bravery under fire Lyrel?"

"Too bad I was never a good turian," Lyrel mumbled.

The lights of her instrument panel glinted off her red eyes when she glared at him.

"We're just smugglers! What are we supposed to do, throw our cargo at them?"

A lot of people had been intimidated by Lyrel Neerius. The black carapace of her face had a red colony marking of a sword that pointed upwards, with the tip ending at the top of her skull. More than a few people had found that look unsettling, but not Captain Kevin Trygg.

"We have weapons, don't we?" Trygg sarcastically responded while pointing at the makeshift weapons control panel that he was seated at.

He studied the tactical situation on the HUD while he scratched the three-day-old stubble on his face.

"You know as well as I do those weapons are useless against the Reaper ships!" Lyrel observed. "We installed those for self defense when this whole war started!"

"They're effective against those weird eyeball things and those are still a threat! We'll focus on them!"

Lyrel sighed. "There isn't a way I can convince you otherwise, is there," she observed.

"There won't be any cargo running to be done if this _Crucible_ doesn't end this. I would like to continue my life of roguish behavior and believe other members of our crew might feel the same way," Captain Trygg proclaimed. He then looked over at his friend with a knowing grin, "Including you."

The Captain then activated the intercom system to talk to the rest of the ship. "You all heard the Admiral, and you all know what the stakes are. We are only smugglers who were enlisted to run cargo between fleets and to the Crucible, and now we're right here, in the middle of the largest battle the galaxy has ever seen. When we first started our smuggling career five years ago, waging war wasn't part of the plan, and now, as we face an uncertain outcome, I'm going to fight until the bitter end. Being your Captain has been an honor… and an adventure. "So let's band together and end this thing… and if we survive, drinks are on me." Cheers could be heard throughout the small cargo ship. "Lyrel. Let's give the Crucible fleet some covering fire."

"By the spirits!" Lyrel maneuvered the cargo ship to join the fight. "Look at all of them!"

The scene certainly looked grim. Ships swarmed like bees around the Crucible, which was heading straight toward the heart of the fight where the Citadel slowly opened its arms.

"Well at least we have that going for us," Lyrel quipped as she dodged an attack from an Oculus. "I thought you were supposed to be shooting at those things Captain!"

"Line me up some shots and maybe I will!"

It didn't take long for them to get a chance as a turian fighter flew by with an Oculus not far behind. Lyrel maneuvered the cargo ship behind the Oculus and when Trygg had a targeting solution, the small mass accelerator weapons installed on the ship lit up. Trygg's aim was true as the Oculus was ripped apart by the weapons fire.

"I hate those flying eyeball things. Creepy as hell," Trygg stated as he scanned for further targets.

"Uh oh!"

"What is it Lyrel?"

Instead of answering, Lyrel opened the comm with the rest of the ship. "Alliance cruiser off starboard side is about to go critical! All hands brace yourselves!"

Moments later the cargo ship was rocked by the shockwave of the nearby exploding ship.

"Good thing we were far enough away to survive the blast! But it appears we have a new problem now. The destruction of that cruiser left a gap in the crucible defense and there's a Reaper heading right for it! The other ships are trying to fire at it but it's not slowing down!" Lyrel pointed out while bringing the ship back under control.

Trygg stared out the window at the Reaper approaching for what seemed like an eternity. "Victory at any cost," he whispered.

"What was that Captain?"

With a deep breath Trygg turned to Lyrel, "Set an intercept for the Reaper and get the auto pilot ready."

"What? You must be joking!"

"Just do it Lyrel!" Trygg ordered as he activated the ship's internal comm system. "Rawlings! Do not ask question because time is of the essence. Set the eezo core to go critical and then get the hell out of there! Everyone else evacuate to the escape pods immediately! Lyrel, you and I will stay here till the last possible moment to make sure the ship stays on target, understood?"

"You mean you don't plan on going down with the ship?" Lyrel asked with what could only be described as a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Ha! You've been watching too many vids Lyrel!"

"Captain! It's Rawlings! The eezo core is destabilizing! You only have a couple of min…!"

The ship was suddenly hit by one of the Reaper's weapons, tearing through the compartment that the engineer was in, narrowly missing the engine core. A scream could be heard over the intercom before it went to static.

"Rawlings!"

"We'll mourn him later, Lyrel! Time to go!" Trygg ordered. He grabbed his turian friend out of the helm seat and pulled her toward the escape pod situated behind the bridge.

The ship was glanced again by one of the Reaper's weapons. The glancing blow hit near the bridge of the ship and as Lyrel and Trygg made their way into the escape pod, a piece of shrapnel lodged itself in Trygg's side eliciting a cry of pain while he fell to the floor of the escape pod.

"Kevin!" Lyrel cried. She reached down to try and help him into his harness.

"No Lyrel! Launch the escape pod!" Kevin ordered her. He steeled himself against the pain and lifted himself into a safety harness.

Lyrel pushed a few buttons and an automated voice informed them the pod would disengage in three seconds. She strapped herself in and started to fuss over Kevin. He felt their escape pod hurtle away from the doomed ship.

"You've lost a lot of blood Kevin. Let me put some medi-gel on it."

"Fine! Fine. Hey, look at that," Kevin pointed to draw her gaze to the small view screen in the escape pod.

The view screen showed the cargo ship as it careened toward the Reaper. Suddenly, there was a bright flash when the eezo core of the ship detonated. The explosive force of the detonation ripped the Reaper apart.

"That has got to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!" Lyrel gasped, wide-eyed.

"I'm just glad it worked. It would have sucked to destroy the ship for no reason." His speech was slurred and his eyes were heavy with blood loss. "Ya know? You are a very pretty turian." He could hear Lyrel from what seemed like a distance say something about "medi-gel talking" as the world around him faded to black.


	2. Vala

**Vala**

**2187 – One year later – New Arcturus Station:**

"There is an incoming vid call for you, sir," the message terminal toned.

"Answer," a groggy voice said from the bed in the corner of the room. The vid screen lit up with the image of a female turian.

"Kevin. Are you there? It's awfully dark in there," Lyrel called from screen. Kevin could see she was leaning forward, as if trying to see through the dark.

"Lights."

As the lights became brighter, Lyrel couldn't help but start laughing.

"Did I call at a bad time?" she said to the human whose hair had achieved angles previously thought impossible by science.

Kevin gave her a snide look and replied, "Normally I wouldn't even be awake for another hour. What do you want, Lyrel?"

"Just checking up on you. I'm about to head out on a mission. The Alliance picked up an anomalous signal in a nearby system and they are sending some ships to check it out."

"More like you called me to gloat," Kevin sarcastically quipped. "You know full well I would rather be out there then stuck on this damned station coordinating rebuilding, rescue, and resupply efforts with the quarians."

"Oh, please! You like the quarians."

"True! But again I would rather be with them on their ships than on this station. Even this damn hobby suggested to me hasn't helped that much."

"Hobby?" Lyrel asked with a sneer. "What kind of … you know what? Never mind, I don't even want to know. Why don't you instead start spending more time with her?"

"Her who?"

"You know who I'm talking about. The last six months she has met you at your door in the morning with a cup of coffee just the way you like it and she follows you around all day like a puppy."

"Lyrel, she follows me around because we work together."

"Ha! You are so dense!"

She cackled until some talking in the background caught her attention. She addressed him again once whoever talked to her left.

"Well, looks like it's time to go. Think about what I said though. It might make your stay there a lot better. She's adorable and she is sooo into you even if you don't see it," Lyrel stated, smiling. "Besides. She has an excellent eye for colors."

Kevin sighed and shook his head.

"Fly safe and come back in one piece, Lyrel."

"Will do, Kevin," and with that Lyrel ended the vid call.

Kevin got out of bed and walked over to his desk. He gazed at the portrait displayed there. It was the last time he and his crew were together. They had just received medals for their part in making sure the Crucible project was a success. It was a good time. He then walked over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. There was a scar where the shrapnel hit him in his right side. The shrapnel was successfully removed, but there were times he could still feel it, like a phantom pain.

"Well, here's to another day."

**Meanwhile, in a nearby lounge:**

The coffee machine burbled as it brewed the coffee. Vala'Sun checked herself in the reflective surface of a nearby computer panel, for any smudges on her red visor. She then started preening over her enviro-suit's cloth wrapping. It looked worn, some edges starting to fray and the colors fading. She had other wraps for her enviro-suit, but this one was her favorite. It was black with red embroidery that made unique lines and spirals over the black cloth. Of course, it being her favorite usually wouldn't have her wearing it all the time. The first time she wore it around _him_, however, he told her the red hourglass shape at the top of her hood reminded him of something from earth and that made her want to wear it all the more often.

The machine beeped, letting her know the coffee finished brewing. Vala stopped preening and took the coffee mug. She turned on the olfactory sensors of her suit so she could smell the coffee. She wished she could try this _mocha_ that he liked so much, but alas, they did not have it in dextro, which made it incompatible for her body. Maybe someday she could find some. She made for the entryway, looking at her datapad filled with the day's agenda, when she bumped into a turian.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized.

"It's all right. No harm, no foul. Just be careful with that coffee," he said.

"Thanks."

She continued into the corridor, this time more careful about where she walked. She still couldn't get over how nice some of the turians became after the war. Over a year ago if that happened she might have been beaten, or at the very least berated.

She maneuvered through the busy crowd in the corridor, doing her best to avoid any more accidents. Most of the crowd consisted of a mix of human, krogan, and quarians. The krogan and quarians weren't nearly as devastated as the humans so they offered to leave a considerable work force behind to help rebuild.

_Keelah! Why do krogan have to be so big?_ she thought as she side-stepped around a blue-plated krogan carrying a haunch of beef. Both species also felt obligated to the humans for different, but significant, reasons.

She dodged several more krogan and some quarians, who maneuvered around the crowd as easily as she did. Living on ships in the flotilla gave them a lot of practice as many of their ships could get even more crowded than this station.

She only saw a couple more turians and two asari for the rest of her trip. Those two species sent most of their people home, only leaving a token amount of workers behind to help.

_It's better than nothing I suppose._

She turned down an apartment corridor that led to Kevin's apartment. Less people milled around the apartments so she took out her datapad again to get to work. She took a seat on a bench across the corridor from his apartment and waited.

* * *

Kevin checked himself in the mirror one more time. He stroked his neatly trimmed goatee and pulled his neck-length hair back into a short ponytail. He wore casual work clothes similar to what he used to wear on his ship. The shirt and pants were black with silver accents along the arms and legs. There were deep pockets on each pant leg and each arm suitable for carrying datapads and tools. He liked them. They were comfortable and functional, though not particularly stylish.

_Vala likes them, though ..._

"Dammit, Lyrel," Kevin whispered at the mirror.

He smirked and proceeded to the door of his apartment, knowing who waited for him on the other side. The door opened with a _whish_ and he was immediately greeted by his black-suited friend. She held out a cup of mocha, holding it within inches of his face when the door opened.

"Good morning Captain," she greeted him, her high voice melodic and cheerful. Though her face was mostly hidden by her red visor, her eyes glowed enough to see them and as best as he could tell she was smiling.

"Thank you, Vala." he accepted the coffee with a smile. "But please. We've been working together for eight months now and you insist on still calling me Captain. I'm not in the Alliance so I didn't retain my rank once my ship was destroyed. Call me Kevin."

"I know. I just like calling you Captain," she said while placing a hand on his arm. "It sounds prestigious."

"Oh, so the name Kevin Trygg doesn't exude prestige?" he asked with a smirk.

"What? No! Keelah! I didn't mean it like that I was just saying that I like calling you Captain you don't need to be called Captain to sound prestigious you won awards for what you did during the Reaper war I just…"

"Woah. Vala. It's ok. Just jokin' with you."

He put his arm around her shoulders and heard her gasp in response.

"Tell you what. You can make it up to me by seeing a vid with me tonight."

"Yes! I … I mean, I would love to."

"Excellent! So, what's on the agenda today?"

**Horse Head Nebula - Fortuna System:**

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. This is your friendly turian helmsman speaking. We've made it to the Fortuna system. I hope you enjoyed our in-flight movie of the day, because spirits know I didn't."

Lyrel could hear some laughs from the Alliance crew around her in the bridge. Ever since the end of the war, the Systems Alliance took volunteers for various positions on their ships since people were in short order. Lyrel agreed to be temporarily conscripted as a helmsman until they didn't need her anymore. She currently helmed of the SSV _Hong Kong,_ taking part in a large mission to the Fortuna system. Apparently, sensors picked up readings in the system consistent with a large Cerberus station. Compared to the normal convoy baby-sitting, this sounded exciting.

"We've found the station. It's orbiting the fourth planet, Wentania. All ships converge on its location and prepare for hostilities. All ground teams prepare to board the station," the Captain of the lead ship, the SSV _Orizaba_, announced.

It seemed strange to have a dreadnaught along for this mission, even if the Alliance had a shortage of ships. The rumor that an admiral was on board didn't help either. Admirals didn't go out on missions very often, generally delegating from an Alliance station.

"All right, folks! We're coming up on the fourth planet. Make sure to bring your helmsman back something nice, like some Cerberus armor; preferably without the Cerberus soldier inside it," Lyrel joked.

She was former turian military so she knew the palpable tension right before a potentially dangerous mission, and she also knew the positive effect that humor can have to ease the nerves of those who are about to risk their lives. Cerberus disappeared after the war, so the Alliance had no idea what to expect. The strike force rounded the planet and that's when the space station came into view. A massive structure, reminiscent of a wagon wheel, loomed in the distance. Docking bays lined the outer rim of the station. Despite the amount of docking bays, no resistance presented itself as the strike force approached the space station, which Lyrel took as a good sign.

"Maybe the station is abandoned," Lyrel whispered hopefully.

A tone sounded on her console indicating that the shuttle doors opened. She watched through her view screen as hundreds of Kodiak drop ships filled with Alliance Marines flew to the space station.

"Spirits be with you."

30 minutes later the "all clear" sounded and the strike force ships were ordered to dock with the space station.

"That was fast," Lyrel observed. "Perhaps it's abandoned after all."

She maneuvered the ship to the indicated docking port and started standby procedures. She saw some of the shuttles leave the station and head toward the dreadnaught. Unfortunately, it was too big to dock with the space station so anyone they wanted to bring to the station would have to arrive by shuttle. The admiral would most likely want to see the station.

Lyrel decided to go into the station herself in order to help with any salvaging to be done. As she walked down the docking tube she wondered what they would find there. Probably some technology, data files, perhaps some act against nature that Cerberus was famous for.

"What do you think we'll find in there, ma'am?" a young ensign walking beside her asked. "My bets are on some slimy, mutated krogan monster."

"Ha! I bet it's some vorcha and klixen hybrid that runs around in its underwear while screaming obscenities, with fire coming out of its ass," Lyrel replied, smiling.

"Oh my god! I'm not sure if that should be funny or terrifying!" The ensign gasped as they passed through the airlock and into the space station itself.

"Spirits! Lyrel exclaimed as she looked around her. "They didn't abandon the station. The station became their tomb!"

Scattered all around the dock they entered were the skeletal remains of Cerberus personnel along with their armor and clothes. Some of them looked like they passed out at their workstations while others lay on the ground next to data pads, weapons, and even coffee mugs..

"They died instantly and all at once. What could do such a thing?" the ensign wondered aloud.

"As far as we can tell, since they were all indoctrinated, and their bodies significantly augmented with reaper tech, they were killed by the Crucible when it destroyed the Reapers," a major explained as he walked up to her. "Hello, Lyrel. My name is Major Gustav. I'm a member of Admiral Hackett's staff. I'm to escort you to him right away. He wishes to speak to you."

_So the old war dog himself is here,_ Lyrel thought. _Makes sense, I suppose. He did declare war against Cerberus._

She addressed the major. "Do you know what the admiral wants?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. Please, come with me."

Lyrel followed him through the station. The bodies just continued. Skeletons everywhere, all of them died not knowing what hit them. Some skeletons slumped over in chairs at workstations; some leaned against walls with rifles in their hands. She even saw a Marine drag a skeleton out of a restroom with its pants around its ankles.

"That's one way to go, I guess," she quipped. The major snorted in response.

It was a long walk to wherever the admiral was waiting for her. After ten minutes of walking they finally arrived. He stood in front of a window, looking through it, his posture straight and his hands clasped behind his back. He turned when he heard them coming and approached them, extending his hand in greeting.

"It's good to see you again, Lyrel."

"Likewise, admiral," Lyrel responded accepting the admiral's hand for the human greeting. "How may I help you today?"

"Actually, I asked you here to tell you about how I can help you. Well, you and your former captain, that is. I have something to show you, as well as a proposal to make."

Admiral Hackett gestured for Lyrel to go over to the window. She did so, her eyes widening at what she saw through it.

"And what, precisely, is your proposal, admiral?"


	3. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

**Arcturus Station: 2 Days Later**

Vala was in her quarters working on her omni-tool. She wanted to make a VI that could replace the geth that used to inhabit her enviro-suit. She was one of the quarians that had volunteered to allow them in her suit in order to boost her immune system. It had been working very well, and her immune system had already seen improvements before the end of the Reaper war. Then the Crucible beam fired. Not only did it destroy the Reapers, but also any other synthetic life in the galaxy. The geth were gone now because of it.

She has spent a lot of time on this VI; roughly a year so far. The geth are too complicated to just copy with a VI and if it wasn't for the fact that she was able to take suit readings of what the geth were doing and how, a project like this could take years. In the meantime doctors have told her and others that volunteered that their immune systems were improved enough that they can take their masks off outside of a clean room every once in a while safely. This would at the very least keep their immune systems from regressing by taxing their systems. If their immune systems continue to adapt and improve they could potentially take new measures to continue taxing their immune systems; things like taking off their masks in public, eating un-sterilized food, and even physical contact with someone close to them.

She stopped working for a moment, daydreaming about what could be. That last one intrigued her the most. Of course considering who she would like to be with, there were other dangers she had to be careful of beyond her immune system. A mild wave of sadness washed over her at that thought.

"This is going to be a difficult relationship," she lamented. "But it will be worth it."

She smiled and went back to work. Kevin made her even more resolved to make it so she could be with him without getting sick.

**Outside of Vala's quarters:**

Kevin made his way to Vala's quarters against the throng of excited people heading toward the observation windows of the station. Something big was going down and he wanted to see it, but he hadn't seen Vala for two days since they watched the vid together so he thought he would ask if she would like to go as well. He knew she was in her quarters because she was in the middle of her un-masked routine. He hadn't gotten to see her yet though; she told him she still had to do it alone for risk of getting seriously ill.

"Hello Vala. It's Kevin," he announced through the comm panel outside her door.

Some crashing noises could be heard through the door before it opened.

"Hi Kevin!" Vala greeted him at the door with a smile on her face.

All Kevin could do was stand there stunned as he stared at her wide eyed. Her pale gray skin shined in the artificial light of the corridor. He could see filaments of some sort along her left cheek. She had a small, narrow chin, full gray lips, a small nose that hooked ever so slightly at the very end, and big glowing eyes that looked back at him with what only could be described as a little bit of confusion.

"Are you ok?" she asked in her high, sweet voice.

Kevin pulled himself out of his stupor and replied, "I'm fine Vala. Just… well… you have a beautiful smile."

"Really? You think so?" Vala asked with a little bit of excitement in her voice.

Her demeanor suddenly turned serious as she realized the implications of what he just said.

"Keelah! My mask!" she gasped as she ran back into her quarters.

She walked back while putting on her mask and he heard her mumble something under her breath about paying for this later.

"So. Um. It's good to see you," she said when she made it back to her doorway.

She started to notice what was happening outside of her quarters.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know but I thought I would come and get you and we could go find out together," Kevin offered as he extended his hand to her.

She took his hand and they started to walk down the corridor following the crowd.

"Oh is this what you humans call the second date then? Go watch whatever it is that is happening through the windows while I slowly get sick from accidentally exposing myself to you?" Vala playfully asked while bumping into him.

"What can I say? I find sneezing and coughing sexy," Kevin replied with a smile.

"I'll remember that. Do you know where we are going?"

"I'm just following the crowd."

"Well it seems to have worked. There are a bunch of people over there looking out the window and pointing at something."

"Let's go find out what all the fuss is about."

As they got closer to the crowd of people gathered at the viewing window, they saw they were pointing at a docked ship. The ship was of an advanced design, very sleek looking with four visible thrusters set in a delta pattern toward the rear of the long tapered fuselage, two on each side. It had two vertical stabilizers at the rear of the craft and two horizontal canards that looked like extremely curved knife blades on the nose. The part that really got Kevin and Vala's attention, though, was the white, black, and gold colors.

"That's a Cerberus ship!" Vala exclaimed with her grip tightening on his hand.

"Yeah. And it looks like the Normandy," Kevin replied as he studied the ship.

"In looks only Captain Trygg," a raspy voice stated from behind them.

Suddenly a bunch of Alliance personnel in the area stood at attention and saluted. Kevin and Vala turned to come face to face with Admiral Hackett and Lyrel.

"Hello Captain," Admiral Hackett said as he extended his hand in greeting.

"Good to see you Admiral," Kevin answered as he shook the Admiral's hand. "Welcome back Lyrel. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Walk with me. We need to talk," Hackett said as he started to walk down the corridor with Kevin, Vala and Lyrel in tow.

He suddenly stopped, looked at Vala and then at Kevin. "Who is this?"

Kevin could see Lyrel standing behind Hackett staring at him with an interested look on her face.

Kevin looked at Vala who looked back at him. "She's a member of my crew," Kevin answered turning back to Hackett.

Vala straightened and Lyrel gave him an amused look while tilting her head and mouthing, "Really."

"Ah. Well this interests you too. Follow me," Hackett said as he turned again to head down the corridor. "As you already stated, it looks like the Normandy. There are a few differences though. It's 25% larger than the Normandy and has some aerodynamic changes with the front canards and the degree of angle of the vertical stabilizers. However, you'll find the biggest difference on the inside and in what it was made for."

One of Hackett's attendees walked over to a nearby door then, inputting an access code opening the door. Hackett led the group through the door into the docking area that the ship was connected to. He walked over to a large window that overlooked the docked ship. Kevin, Lyrel, and Vala joined him at the window. From their vantage point Kevin could see the designation of the ship.

"ST-1?" Kevin questioned looking at Lyrel.

"Secret Transport-1," Hackett replied. "Cerberus built it with a stealth drive for a fairly specific role."

"Leave it to Cerberus to put a stealth drive in a transport ship," Lyrel quipped.

"The quarian people have known for a while that Cerberus has a lot of funding but this seems a little extravagant even for them," Vala stated while staring at the ship.

"Actually, if you knew half the things that we do about Cerberus, the money they spent on this ship would probably seem like pittance Miss…"

"Just call me Vala."

"Very well. We're going to tour the ship, during which we will talk more about what it was made for."

"Hold on!" interrupted Kevin before they headed to the docking tube. "Why the hell are you telling us about this? I mean stealth drives? This ship sounds like it's classified."

"It is. And it's yours," Hackett responded and then headed toward the docking tube.

Kevin just stared at Hackett's back wide-eyed and mouth agape. Vala wrung her hands in nervousness as she turned to Kevin.

"I'm not really a part of your crew and I think I should probably go back to my quarters."

"Nonsense!" Lyrel responded for Kevin as he was still dumbstruck. "If he could speak he would probably ask you to stay."

"But I don't want to be trouble for anyone."

"You'll be fine. Let's go, the Admiral is waiting," Lyrel said as she put a hand on both Vala's and Kevin's back to prod them forward.

**Terminus Systems: Omega Station: Kima District: Same Day**

Rounds whizzed by his head as he took cover behind a steel berm. He had heard that Aria's flunkies had been looking for him, why though he was not sure. He had been paying his dues for the business he was conducting on the station for the past few months, but when they found him they didn't even try to talk to him, they just tried to subdue him. He was able to slip away though, leading his pursuers on a chase through most of the Kima district. They finally caught up to him though, and now here he was pinned down by fire, and running out of thermal clips for his Predator pistol. Not that it really mattered. He's pretty sure he hit the krogan a few times, which wasn't very hard when your target was as big as a horse, but it barely even phased the krogan. He was running out of options. A krogan and two batarians? He started to realize he wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Time for plan 'B'," he muttered to himself. "What is plan 'B' anyway?"

A round ricocheted off the top of the steel berm near his head and hit some rock from the asteroid that made up most of the station, sending rock pieces back into his face.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed as he winced from the rock pieces. "Hey! Why are you attacking me!?"

"You shot at us first!" came the deep, raspy voice of one of the batarians.

He could see their reflections off a nearby polished steel wall. The four-eyed freak that was speaking to him was peaking around the corner of a nearby intersection with the other batarian on the opposite side of the intersection. He couldn't see the krogan though, which was either a good thing or a bad thing.

"You attacked me first, in my place of business!"

"Aria wants to talk to you!"

"What? You could have just asked!"

"We don't ask," came the much deeper voice of the krogan from a lot closer than he would like.

Suddenly, he was grabbed by the shoulders and yanked over the berm by the incredibly strong krogan. The krogan turned him around so they were face to face. Rancid breath spewed forth from its mouth eliciting the gag reflex of the human in its clutches. Reptilian eyes stared back at him from under the solid, brown colored bone plate that capped the massive krogan's triangular head.

"Our job is to make sure you get to Aria. She didn't say anything about asking you nicely."

At that the krogan shoved him back to one of the batarians, who held him in a vice like grip. He was then greeted by the other batarian who had been speaking to him earlier. The last thing he saw, however, was that batarian bringing the butt of his rifle down upon his head.

**Afterlife: 30 minutes later**

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a cold metal floor in front of a couch. From his vantage point all he could see were a pair of shapely legs in black leather with one leg crossed over the other. He tried to sit up, but he staggered a bit and had to clutch his head while groaning. He could hear the heavy beats of pounding club music as well, which wasn't helping his head whatsoever.

_I hope this was worth it,_ he thought while managing to finally sit up straight.

"Glad you could join us Mr. Renly," a seductive voice said to him as he made the long climb back to his feet.

"Was this really necessary Aria?" he asked with a scowl, addressing the purple skinned Asari seated on the couch in front of him.

Aria just smirked at him, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. Her scalp crests glistened in the lights of the club.

"I always find it necessary to remind people who is in charge on Omega. I was gone for a while so I felt a friendly reminder was in order."

"Yeah. Real friendly," Renly sarcastically replied.

Aria just leered at him as she picked up a data pad. "I'd offer you a seat but you are absolutely filthy."

Renly looked down at himself and sure enough, his tan cargo pants and shirt were covered in blood and filth from the streets of Omega.

_Apparently they dragged me through the streets as well_, he thought while trying to at least brush himself off.

He looked at himself in a nearby reflective surface. His black, medium length hair was messy and his tanned face was covered with more blood. Tired, green eyes stared back at him from the reflection.

"Philip Renly," Aria said while staring at the data pad, drawing his attention back to her. "You have been busy since you came to my station about three years ago. You've been smuggling red sand, weapons and slaves on and off my station."

"The last time I checked that wasn't against your one rule."

"That's not why you're here. What has me interested is your prior experience as the XO of the _Quasimodo_."

Philip scowled at the mention of that ship.

"You were kicked off the ship by the illustrious Captain Kevin Trygg due to, 'Conflicts of interest.'"

"I wanted to expand our business, bring in more revenue. I spent my own, hard earned credits to buy that merchandise, and he spaced it the moment he found out it was on the ship!" Philip said while gesturing angrily at Aria.

"Oh do settle down. My mercs do get awfully fidgety. I don't want to get blood all over my couch."

At that Philip stopped making gestures and looked behind him where the three mercs that had brought him in were gathered throwing evil grins his way.

"It sounds to me like you needed to know your Captain a little better before trying to expand your business."

"We were smugglers! Everything we did was questionable on the best of days. What was one little shipment of Red Sand?"

"Not everyone likes dealing with elicit substances Mr. Renly. Of course that is hardly the only reason why you got kicked off. What's that quaint phrase you humans like to use? It was the straw the broke the camel's back."

"What? Ok, so I killed a few clients who refused to negotiate reasonable terms with us."

"And nearly beat the _Quasimodo's_ engineer to death for…" Aria gave her data pad a brief glimpse and then looked back at Philip. "…snooping around the cargo deck."

"He found the Red Sand. Had it not been for him we could have had a lot of extra money and Trygg wouldn't have even known the difference! But no! Instead that sniveling brat found the Red Sand and I lost my temper. The only reason he even survived is because that turian helmsman found us and pulled me off of him. Now I'm here doing small time smuggling and being hounded by your flunkies."

He absently rubbed his right shoulder. He could still feel her talons digging into his shoulder as she pulled him off the engineer. The scars were still there as well. He could also still remember her face. The look of rage in her red eyes as she glared daggers into him.

"I'm not here to judge you Renly," Aria said, snapping Philip out of his memory. "I'm here to offer you a job. You have experience running a ship and I need someone of your questionable morals. You see, I've had a lot of time to think during my long trip back to Omega. The galaxy is in chaos and the Terminus is ripe for me to assert my influence even more."

"So you're starting your own military? No thanks."

"Hardly. They don't call me the Pirate Queen of Omega for nothing. I want you to do what you do best. You'll get a ship and a crew and you will be able to loot and plunder your way across the Terminus. You'll be able to traffic red sand, illegal weapons, even slaves. I don't care. You'll be a part of a larger contingent of ships all under my thumb. All I care is that I get my dues and that any colonies still left in the Terminus, or later started, will know, and fear, my name. There will be only one rule you will have to obey."

Philip started saying the words at the same time as Aria, albeit in a bored tone.

"Don't fuck with Aria."

"Tell me. Do you ever get tired of that old adage of yours?" Philip asked.

"No. It's simple and it gets the point across," Aria responded. "Do you accept?"

"Well it sounds like a few steps up from what I've been doing here."

Philip stood and thought for a moment, wondering if this is something he really wanted to do. He could see that Aria was getting impatient however so he hurriedly gave his answer.

"Yeah. I'll do it."

"Good. You'll find your new ship and crew moored at the dock. It's a Turian frigate by the name of _Afterlife's Favor_. I find it apt since you are going out with my… blessing… if you will."

At that Aria made a shooing gesture with her hand as she looked out to the Club below. Philip decided not to press his luck and left, making sure to sneer at the three angry looking mercs who had been waiting behind him this entire time. Philip decided to go and get cleaned up and changed before he headed to the ship though. He wanted to get the stink of the day off of him.

**Omega Station: Docking Area**

An hour later Philip walked into the docking area where Aria said he would find _her_ ship. He had no illusion that the ship was hers; he was just her puppet in this case. Sure enough there was _Afterlife's Favor._ It had a typical turian design, with a lot of sharp looking angles and variable swept wings that could change their position when needed. The turians sure wanted their ships to look like weapons. It can be an intimidating design. It was steel in color, with some red lines and the ships name elegantly etched into the hull in a writing style befit an asari. Despite its age, it came equipped with some new, but improvised weaponry.

"That looks like Cerberus tech," Philip noted while admiring the ship. "I guess Aria decided to make use of some of the goodies that Cerberus left behind after their failure to keep the station.

Philip looked up the ramp at the airlock of the ship.

"Well, I guess it's time to go meet the crew," he said with a sigh.


	4. Black Widow Part 1

**Black Widow Part 1**

**ST-1 Command Deck:**

Kevin snapped out of his stupor as they stepped through the airlock and into the ST-1. Looking around he could see sterile gray walls, floors and ceilings all around. To his right was a short hallway that gradually tapered into a larger and surprisingly empty room. There was an unfinished feel to this area of the ship. He looked to his left which was where the bridge was situated.

"At least the bridge looks mostly finished," Kevin mumbled.

The bridge was comprised of a large helm, three other positions that he couldn't identify from where he was standing, and a raised platform in the middle of the bridge that his only guess was the galaxy map. He was able to take this all in a matter of seconds before Admiral Hackett started speaking.

"Before we proceed, I have to let you three know that we have gotten the proper clearances that you need for the information that I am going to tell you while we tour the ship. Had to get a rush clearance through for you, Vala, but rest assured you are cleared as well. I'll do my best to indicate when information is classified, but needless to say, if it sounds classified, it probably is and you shouldn't discuss it outside of the ship."

"I still don't understand though. Why would you give me something like this?" Kevin started to protest.

_Ahem_ Lyrel loudly cleared her throat beside him while giving him the stink eye.

"And by me I mean us," Kevin continued with slight irritation in his voice. "Isn't this something that the Alliance would want to keep?"

Hackett stared into the bridge as if thinking about what he should say.

"Under normal circumstances you wouldn't even know this ship existed unless you encountered it while it was operating. These aren't normal circumstances though. It has been just over a year since the Reaper war and we are just starting a very long recovery process, of which you all have been helping us with in your own ways and we're thankful for that."

Hackett lowered his gaze to the floor, reverently thinking of all those who sacrificed their lives fighting the Reapers. So many lives.

"Unfortunately, we took an astronomical number of casualties. Those who are left are working hard to help with rebuilding what the Reapers and the Crucible destroyed. That leaves me with a shortage of manpower, so when we recovered this ship I was confronted with a dilemma, and you are the answer to that dilemma. You are experienced in transport operations, and you are considered a hero for what you did during the final hours of the war."

Kevin just looked at the Admiral incredulously.

"Captain Kevin Trygg. The Alliance wishes to hire you as a Corsair."

"And there's the strings attached. Of course I knew there would be some. You don't just give a ship like this away. I was just waiting for it," Kevin said to no one in particular.

Vala looked at Hackett who was looking at Kevin waiting for his answer, then over to Lyrel who was also waiting, and finally she looked at Kevin.

"I don't get it. What's a Corsair?" Vala asked Kevin.

"In this case, a Corsair is a privateer that works unofficially for a government. It gives the government deniability of any operations that the Corsair takes part in," Lyrel answered for Kevin.

"Yeah and I can put two and two together. Stealth ship _and_ deniability? I have a feeling we'll be doing more than just transporting goods and supplies between colonies and space stations."

"That is an astute observation Captain, and we will get to that part later. Let's do the tour of the ship first."

As they walked into the bridge Vala looked at Lyrel and asked in a whisper, "Why does the Admiral keep calling Kevin "Captain" when he hasn't actually accepted the ship yet?"

"It's a psychological method. The more the Admiral calls him Captain, the more Kevin might start feeling like he's in the role again and accept whatever the Alliance has planned for us."

"I guess that makes sense," Vala conceded before she went back to listening to the Admiral.

"And here is the Galaxy map. It's a standard feature in military craft. When Cerberus built the SR-2, they kept the hybrid Human and Turian design, putting the galaxy map and CIC back in the larger room that you saw behind us. But with the ST-1 being larger, Cerberus went back to the human design of having the galaxy map in the bridge."

"Cerberus built the Normandy?" Vala asked before Hackett could continue.

"Only the SR-2. They somehow got the plans for the original SR-1 and then improved upon them. We now have it because Commander Shepard brought it to the Alliance before the Reapers invaded."

"You weren't exaggerating about Cerberus' money!" Vala exclaimed.

"No I wasn't Vala. But we are now benefiting from all that money they spent."

"Almost makes you feel bad," Kevin quipped with a smirk as he looked at the galaxy map.

Lyrel just looked at him and asked sarcastically, "Does it really?"

"No. No not really. They got what they deserved for being a xenophobic bastards."

Hackett nodded slightly in agreement and then continued.

"The nice thing about this galaxy map is that it can retract into the floor when it's not in use so it doesn't take up space."

With that Hackett walked over to the map and pushed a button on a nearby console. The group watched as the floor opened up and the equipment that made up the galaxy map retracted into the floor.

"Now if I can draw your attention to the rest of the bridge please. At the forefront of the bridge is the helm. It's a modern holographic interface that allows the helmsman to perform multiple functions in a limited space."

"I really like it," Lyrel claimed while staring at it, her mandibles forming into a smile.

Kevin grunted slightly to that statement with a smirk.

"On the port side of the bridge is an engineering console that syncs with the engine room. It allows for the head engineer to be able to monitor the ship's systems from the bridge if they are needed up there. On the starboard side facing the same direction as the helm is the weapons console. This console controls the disruptor torpedoes and GARDIAN defensive systems. We'll get you training on these systems before you head out."

Kevin whistled shrilly and observed, "Well. This has got to be the most heavily armed cargo vessel I have ever seen."

"I also like that," Lyrel replied.

"I'm more interested in this engineering console," Vala said as she poked at the holographic interface. "The quarians don't have these on their bridges. It must be nice."

Hackett and Lyrel started to head down the corridor and Kevin approached Vala as she continued to absently poke at the holographic display. She turned to Kevin as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"You know, I'm in need of a new engineer," Kevin said quietly while looking at her mask and remembering her face from earlier. "Perhaps you would like to see what it is like to be an engineer working in the bridge first hand."

"What? I can't possibly do that Kevin. I have responsibilities to my people. We have a homeworld to rebuild, people to help. There's just no way that I can leave all that."

"Sure you can. As a corsair I'll still have a level of autonomy to what I do. I'm pretty sure we can find ways to help the Quarian people."

"But…" Vala started to protest looking away from Kevin and at the engineering console. She realized then what he had said and looked back at him in his hazel eyes. "Really? You would do that?"

"Of course! I care for the quarian people."

"Oh is that all now!" Lyrel exclaimed from the other end of the hallway smirking.

Vala and Kevin turned their heads to see both Lyrel and Hackett staring at them. Lyrel looked amused but the Admiral looked very impatient.

"If you two are done I would like to continue the tour of the ship," Hackett stated with a little bit of irritation evident in his voice.

Kevin and Vala walked down the hall toward them and looked at consoles that lined the walls on either side. It was then that Kevin realized just how big the ship was.

"Six men could walk side by side down this hall alone," Kevin observed. "Gives you an appreciation of just how big this ship is."

"Indeed," Hackett agreed wanting to get on with the tour. "This room holds the rest of the CIC," he noted as they stepped out of the hallway.

The Admiral went to a terminal on the wall and entered a command. A large oval structure that nearly spanned the length and width of the room rose out of the floor. Consoles that lined the rings of the structure flickered to life when the structure had finished rising with a click. A holographic image of the ship glowed in the space above the structure. There were sections of the ship highlighted on the holographic image. Hackett walked over and poked at one of the highlighted sections.

"This image allows you to observe specific systems, as you can see. More will be explained to you when you get trained on the various systems of the ship."

Hackett went back over to the terminal on the wall and gave the command for the structure to retract back into the floor. They all then turned to look toward the back of the room. There were three doors there.

"That large door in the middle is the elevator. This door on the right is the crew armory," Hackett explained as he led them through the door.

It was a long room with tables lining the walls and weapons lockers standing in the center. Kevin noted that the lockers looked like they already had weapons in them. There was an Alliance officer in the room with her back to them busily punching at a data pad. She was dressed in an Alliance utility uniform with her blond hair done up in a bun to keep it within regulations. When they entered she turned to see who it was and upon seeing Hackett she went to attention and saluted him.

"Admiral Hackett," she greeted him with a slightly Eastern European accent.

"Lt. Romanova," Hackett responded back while returning the salute. "These are Captain Kevin Trygg, Lyrel Neerius, and Vala. Ladies and gentleman let me introduce you to Lt. Ursula Romanova."

She looked at the three civilians with disapproval etched across her face.

"Sir. You know this is a classified ship."

"They have the clearances to be here. Lyrel was the one who flew the ship back to the station in the first place; and as long as the Captain here accepts, this ship is going to be his."

The Lt. could only respond to that information with a look of shock.

"I think you had a similar look on your face when the Admiral told you this ship was yours," Lyrel pointed out to Kevin who responded with a slight grunt.

"Lt. you have the most knowledge on this room and the weapons in here. Please talk us through it."

"Yes sir!" the Lt. responded professionally, regaining her composure. "Cerberus was nice enough to outfit this ship with brand new weapons before they met their demise. Each locker is holding one of each type of weapon: M-358 Talon heavy pistols, M-25 Hornet SMGs, M-22 Eviscerator shotguns, Cerberus Harrier's, which are a prototype Cerberus assault rifle, and finally M-13 Raptor sniper rifles."

"The next few months will be spent making any retrofits you request, within reason, as well as outfitting changes you want, so if you want to change what weapons are on the ship that will be the time to ask," Hackett informed them. "Lt. Romanova will procure any weapons that you request as long as they don't fall too far out of the realm of standard issue."

"Wait. You're also going to retrofit us?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"Before you leave we will. After that you should be able to make your own credits and then anything else will be on you. Also, like I said before, these retrofits will be within reason. We do have limited resources right now," Hackett responded. "The only reason we are even attempting to retrofit this ship is because of the resources we were able to salvage from the Cerberus station."

"Well this is already more than I would have expected," Kevin stated. "Vala, do you have a data pad on you? I would like you to take notes about any changes we may want to make," Kevin was saying as he started to look around realizing that Vala and Lyrel were no longer standing next to him. "Vala? Lyrel? Where'd you go?"

"Looks like they've picked out their lockers already." Hackett pointed out with a chuckle.

Kevin looked down the room and sure enough both Vala and Lyrel had lockers opened up next to each other. Lyrel was holding what looked like a Mattock assault rifle but with Cerberus white and black colors. Vala was holding a scoped rifle, which Kevin could only guess was the Raptor sniper rifle that the Lt. had mentioned earlier.

"Sorry I heard you. I have one and will start taking notes. I just wanted to look at the sniper rifle. I like it. It's a good size for me. There are a couple of quarian weapons I would like to replace the pistol and shotgun with though. Don't worry Lt. I'll get a hold of the quarian people for those," Vala assured while looking down the scope at the wall opposite of her.

"Understood," Ursula acknowledged. "Does that mean you don't want the pistol or shotgun that is already in your locker?"

"No, I won't need them," Vala replied while removing them from her locker.

"Then put them over on this table and I will remove them from the ship."

Ursula made a note in her data pad on which locker not to touch while they refitted the ship.

"Also, I can take the notes you need for in here, since I'll be doing the refitting anyway."

"I actually already have some notes for you to take," Lyrel said while she was digging around in the weapons locker. "This heavy pistol, the Talon I think you called it. I think we can do better. It looks like a hand shotgun rather than a pistol. Very limited range. Would the Alliance be willing to replace it with the M-6 Carnifex? It's reliable, has a decent range, and sufficient stopping power."

"Yes, we can provide those."

"This rifle I was looking at, it looks like a Mattock with a new paint job," Lyrel said as she picked the Harrier back up.

"In looks yes," Ursula replied. "It is based off of the Mattock rifle; however, it's an automatic weapon as opposed to the Mattock's semi-auto."

Lyrel's eyes widened at what Ursula just said.

"Does it keep the power and accuracy of the Mattock?"

"For the most part it does. It's only real downside is it has a small thermal clip capacity. You'll be changing out clips often."

"I think we'll keep this one. If anyone has a problem they can bring their own," Lyrel said as she put the rifle back into the locker. "However, I would like to request a different sniper rifle for myself. I'm partial to the M-92 Mantis. Other than that I don't really have any suggestions for overall changes to the armory other than the pistol."

"Got it," Ursula replied.

Lyrel looked at Kevin and asked, "Do you have any requests while we're here?"

"Well I guess while we're at it, I don't know if the Alliance would be willing to pony up for one of these but I would like to replace a Raptor sniper rifle with a Black Widow rifle."

Hackett and Ursula's eyes widened at that and Lyrel gave an exasperated sigh.

"Really Kevin? An anti-material rifle? You don't think that's a bit much for a cargo ship?" Lyrel questioningly scolded him.

"What. I've always wanted one I thought it would be worth a try," Kevin replied.

"I'm afraid that falls well outside of the realm of standard issue Captain," Ursula responded. "You'll have to buy one of those with your own credits."

"Awww," Kevin said his shoulders visibly slumping.

"Besides!" Vala cheerfully chimed in. "It's not the size that matters; it's how you use it!"

Kevin groaned loudly as Lyrel's shoulders were shaking while she tried to stifle her laughter, and failed miserably as she started to cackle with her gravelly voice.

"What? What did I say?" Vala innocently asked as she was not familiar with the humor of what she just said.

"Don't worry about it lets just continue on with the tour," Kevin said while shaking his head.

"Agreed," Hackett responded.

They left Ursula behind as Hackett led them through a door on the inside wall of the room which opened into another identical weapons locker room. It was further evidence on how big the ship really was.

"We won't need this many lockers for our weapons," Kevin said while stopping to look at the room. "You know. We could turn this into a practice range. We won't be able to practice anything sniper range but at least we would still get some practice with the shorter ranged weapons."

"That seems like a practical idea," Hackett responded.

Vala entered that idea into her data pad as they were led again through an identical door which opened into a hallway. At the other end of the Hallway was another door which Kevin imagined led into the room or rooms that he had seen on the other side of the elevator. Halfway down the hallway was a door to the right. As they walked by it Hackett stopped and opened the door but did not go in, instead just gesturing into the room.

"This is a meeting room with the added purpose of being a private communication room. The table retracts into the floor and becomes a quantum entanglement communicator capable of connecting you to anyone with the same type of communicator and allows you to communicate with them using a fully rendered three dimensional holographic image of yourself and the other person."

"Nice!" Kevin exclaimed with a smile. "I like new toys!"

Hackett just frowned at him and said, "Moving on."

Hackett finally led them through the door at the end of the hallway. The door opened up into one large room that was the size of the two locker rooms combined. This room was, however, empty.

"We're not sure what Cerberus had planned for this room. When we found it there were a lot of empty crates sitting in here so it could have just been used for storage, though it seems like a waste of space."

Kevin stared at the room for a little bit, trying to think of a better use for it. Lyrel was the first one to chime in with an idea however.

"On our last ship I kind of wished we had an area to be able to exercise and do some sparring."

Kevin looked at Hackett who responded, "I don't have a problem with that if that is in fact what you want."

"Vala, add that to the list of retrofits. We'll figure out equipment later."

"Anything else for this level of the ship?" Hackett asked.

Kevin looked at the other two who just shook their heads and replied, "I guess not right now. Anything else we think of we'll make sure to let the Alliance know."

"Very well. We'll head to the elevator and head up to the Captain's Cabin first and get that out of the way."


	5. Black Widow Part 2

**Black Widow Part 2**

**Captain's Cabin**

The elevator doors opened into a small entryway that ended in another door.

"They certainly do not lack for doors in this ship," Vala observed as they passed through the door into the Captain's cabin. Suddenly she bumped into Kevin who had stopped and was staring at a large glass structure set in the wall.

"Is there seriously a huge fish tank in my cabin?" Kevin inquired slightly perturbed.

Vala looked closely at the tank. It was empty but she could see fake coral, sand on the bottom, and some decorations spread throughout the bottom of the tank.

"The decadence of Cerberus never ceases to amaze me," Vala stated.

"Oh I get it. This is where the Cerberus Captain puts his sharks or electric eels and then sits rubbing his hands together while maniacally laughing," Kevin quipped.

Vala swore she could see Hackett smile a little before he spoke up.

"Do you want to get rid of it or keep it?" Hackett asked.

"I don't even know what to put in its place so let's keep it for now and see what happens in the future," Kevin replied.

"Very well. The Captain's cabin comes with several features. You have everything you see before you and a vid screen that folds out of the ceiling that can change its position based on where you are, whether in the bed or on the couch in the corner."

Vala looked around at the features that Hackett had mentioned. In one corner set against a false wall was a black leather "L" couch. Against the far wall of the room was a queen sized bed with a black cover and white sheets. On the wall next to the fish tank was a dresser with a holographic interface that you used to choose what clothing you wished to wear.

"Do you even own that many clothes Kevin?" Lyrel inquired with a smirk. "All I ever see you wear are those damned cargo clothes."

"I could get some more clothes if I wanted to," Kevin responded back while striking a pose. "Don't hate me because I make these look good."

At that Lyrel cackled slightly and Vala stood and admired him before she went back to investigating the room. She looked back toward the entrance; on the other side of the false wall was a desk with personal data terminals. It had some bookshelves set in the wall behind the desk and the false wall itself had some pegs sticking out of it for no discernible reason.

Vala took another quick look around and then looked at Kevin and stated, "I think I could see myself staying in here a few times."

"Oh? Only a few times?" Lyrel asked with a smirk from over by the bed. "I don't know. This bed looks pretty comfortable."

Vala gave her head an exaggerated roll to emphasize that she was rolling her eyes and when she looked over to Kevin he was staring at the fish tank again but she could tell that his face was bright red. And then it dawned on her.

"Ooo!" She exclaimed running up to Kevin and grabbing his arm. "We can watch _Fleet and Flotilla_ again on your big vid screen!"

Kevin sighed while Lyrel started to cackle from the couch. He then put his right arm around her shoulders and said,

"Of course Vala. We can watch whatever you want."

He then turned to Hackett and asked, "Well I can't think of anything to change here right now so shall we continue?"

"Absolutely. Next deck we will visit is the crew deck."

**Crew Deck:**

They exited the elevator and were immediately confronted by a wall with short hallways leading to the left and right and walkways curving backwards behind the elevator.

"To the left is the Starboard Observation Deck, Crew Quarters, and Women's restroom with showers."

Hackett walked them down the short hallway, turning to two doors against the aft wall. The two doors were about 2 meters apart.

"These are the crew quarters themselves," Hackett said as he opened the closest door. "Inside are bunk beds, some desks and a seating area for the crew. There are three of these on this deck all the same dimension and layout; the two you see here and one more off to the right next to Life Support. Each room can house roughly 15 crew members."

"Vala. Make a note. We won't have nearly this many people with us. I think these would better serve as private quarters for some of our crewmen."

"These would be awfully big quarters," Lyrel stated.

"Well I shouldn't be the only one with such big quarters," Kevin quipped.

They turned away from the crew quarters as the door hissed shut, and headed towards the Starboard Observation Deck. The door hissed open and they walked in. The deck had several couches for people to use as well as a few bookshelves. Of course the star attraction of the room was the reason it had its name; the large window that allowed people to look out into space.

"This room is pretty self-explanatory really," Hackett observed.

"That it is. Let's keep going," Kevin replied.

They headed back past the elevator and down the other short hallway. They walked past the third crew quarters and Hackett stopped at the door labeled "Life Support."

"This is the life support room. In this room can be found various controls and access points for the life support systems of the ship. The console in here will provide the most control for the life support systems, though the engineering consoles throughout the ship have some limited access as well."

They left the room and went to the Port Observation Deck.

"This observation deck also doubles as a lounge," Hackett explained as they entered the room. "As you can see there is a small bar to our right, a few lounge chairs and couches, and, of course, another large observation window."

"Well I can see where we'll end up spending time on this ship," Kevin quipped. "I'll be sure to get some turian brandy for you two to be able to drink. In fact, better put dextro rations as well as sterilized rations on the list Vala."

"Alright," Vala acknowledged, thumbing away at her data pad as they left the room.

Hackett led them to the left on the walkway that curved around behind the elevator. They entered a large room that had a fairly large table in the center meant to accommodate a sizeable number of people.

The kitchen was nearby against a wall opposite of the med bay. The kitchen was meant to be able to serve a decent sized crew. It had two large stainless steel refrigerator and freezer combos, a large stove with 10 burners on the top, a large sink and a 3 meter long counter-top opposite the appliances and sink.

"First, we will take a look at the XO's quarters, which is on the port side here past the kitchen," Hackett said as he led them to another nearby door just to the left of the kitchen.

"Well, it seems you'll be doing fine for yourself as well Lyrel," Vala noted upon entering.

The room was fairly spacious, with a black leather couch lining the wall to the right and some lounge chairs scattered in various places. There was also a small observation window giving the occupant a view of the outside if they like. At the back of the room was a queen sized bed, also with a black cover and white sheets. A small desk was hidden in a nook beside it with a personal data terminal.

"Ha!" Kevin exclaimed startling his three companions. "You don't have a fish tank!"

"Oh I am sooooo jealous," Lyrel sarcastically replied. "I totally wish I could replace my view of the stars with an empty fish tank. Please can we trade?"

"Actually, I forgot to mention that the Captain's cabin has a skylight that opens up above the bed," Hackett informed them with a smile.

"Ooo!" Vala exclaimed while Kevin turned to Lyrel with a wide grin.

"Haha!" he laughed triumphantly.

Lyrel just narrowed her eyes and growled at him in return.

Kevin cleared his throat in response.

"Yeah, let's just continue the tour," he nervously stated peering at Lyrel out of the corner of his eye.

"Very well. If you'll follow me we'll head to the main battery."

Hackett led them back past the kitchen toward the main battery, pointing out the stasis pods on the way there.

"With the state of the galaxy as it is, these may become necessary on some of your longer journeys."

"Well it looks like there are enough but I think we should get one replaced with something significantly bigger," Kevin observed.

"Bigger?" Vala asked.

"Yeah, I don't think Gurz would fit in one of these," Kevin added.

"Wait. Who's Gurz?"

"He's our token krogan," Lyrel responded.

"Jorgal Gurz. You may have seen him. He's a bartender and cook at the _Reaper's Bane_ _Bar & Grill_."

"Best damn ribs I've had in a long time, even if they were varren," Hackett chimed in.

"Well, if there's one thing Gurz does better than killing things, it's cooking meat," Lyrel explained with a wink toward Vala.

"I'll take you to meet him later," Kevin said to Vala while sending an amused grin Lyrel's way.

"Ok," Vala responded quietly nervous.

"If I can direct your attention to over here…" Hackett said while approaching the door to the main battery, which opened with a hiss. "…this is the main battery. This is where repairs and calibrations can be made to the weapons systems of the ship. As I mentioned before the ship comes with disruptor torpedoes and GARDIAN defensive systems. There is room for upgrades though."

"What more could it possibly need?" Vala interrupted while both Kevin and Lyrel made cutting motions across their necks indicating she should stop that line of thinking.

Hackett saw the exchange and grinned slightly before continuing, "After Cerberus gave Shepard the Normandy he added a Thanix Magnetic-Hydrodynamic Weapon. I won't go into specifics about the weapon itself, but I will say that it is an extremely effective long range weapon, which is something that this ship is sorely missing. I recommend one, or even two considering how big the ship is."

Kevin looked over to Lyrel who was nodding vigorously.

"I don't suppose you are offering those as well for the retrofit."

"Unfortunately, no. Those are a bit more than we can just give away. Same with some of the other upgrades that the Normandy got under Shepard's care. Mainly the cyclonic barrier technology. Cerberus did make this ship with Silaris armor though so at least you have that already. You'll be paid well when you do jobs for the Alliance so it shouldn't take you too long to get the other upgrades."

"Vala, take note of those two upgrades for future reference. We can research them to find out what will be needed."

"I still have friends in the Turian military and they're the ones that came up with the Thanix. I'll see if I can get us a deal," Lyrel said.

"Good thinking," Kevin responded.

"Are we good here?" Hackett asked, wanting to continue the tour.

"Yeah, let's keep going."

"Alright, we have one last place to see on this deck, the infirmary. "

Hackett led them to the infirmary. It was a decent sized infirmary with about 15 beds and modern medical technology.

"Unfortunately, this infirmary was equipped to treat human patients, for obvious reasons. We can retrofit it in order to meet the needs of a mixed species crew however."

"Ok. Vala, make a note. Infirmary needs to be equipped to handle every known species. We already have a fairly diverse group and who knows who else we will take on."

"Just how diverse are we talking about?" Vala asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well other than those you already know about, we also have a volus crew-member. We're going to need to do some recruiting as well. We didn't have any sort of doctor before so at the very least we should get a knowledgeable one of those, especially with two crew-members who have special medical considerations on board," Kevin explained resting a hand on the small of Vala's back and looking over her shoulder.

Vala rested her head on his shoulder while she punched away at her data pad. Lyrel walked to the back of the infirmary studying the door there. Lyrel then turned back to Hackett who was watching her, knowing what her next question would be.

"This ship had an AI?"

That got Vala's attention, who turned and approached the door.

"It would have. Cerberus put a shackled AI in the Normandy as well and no doubt planned on having one on this ship, despite the complications they experienced with the other one."

"Complications?" Vala inquired.

"Yes. The pilot unshackled the AI in desperation and it turned against Cerberus with the rest of the crew, costing Cerberus a lot of intel, equipment, and money that we got in return. It actually became a valuable member of the crew, even taking on an advanced mech for a body before the end of the Reaper war. It's too bad really, what happened to all the AIs at the end. They were an immense help in defeating the Reapers."

"Yeah," Vala quietly agreed, thinking about the geth that had inhabited her suit.

They had some good conversations together. She had learned a lot from their short time together. She poked at a panel on the wall next to the door which hissed open in response. Inside was a huge mainframe that would have housed the AI.

"Keelah! The processing power must have been phenomenal!"

"It was. The AI was capable of running the various systems of the ship on its own if it needed to, though it mostly dealt with cyber warfare."

"Now it just looks like a waste of space," Kevin observed.

"No!" Vala exclaimed. "No. I can work with this."

"Umm despite how helpful they were, I'm pretty sure it is still illegal to create new AIs," Lyrel stated looking toward Kevin worriedly.

Vala was running her hand along the mainframe while Lyrel made her statement. She turned back to them and said,

"No. I'm not going to make a new AI. This much computing power can be put to good use if you know how to use it though. Especially if it is already integrated into the Normandy's systems. The waste would be to just throw it away."

"I take it you already have ideas?" Kevin asked.

"I was a protégé and assistant to Admiral Daro'Xen on the Moreh when we retook Rannoch and fought the Reapers. You could say that I have more knowledge about tech then I do about engineering," Vala explained and upon realizing what she just said, "I can do both though!"

Kevin smiled and looked at Lyrel who still looked unsure. "Very well. We'll keep it and you can make it a pet project. If you think you can get it to help run the ship smoothly then by all means."

Vala clapped her hands in excitement and turned back to the mainframe.

"Oh I can do that and more I'm sure," she said quietly with thoughts about her suit and boosting the VI she was making to help her immune system.

Vala looked around the room taking in the size and more ideas started to manifest in her head. She could easily fit research terminals and tables in here.

"Do you think I could have a tech lab in here? With the right equipment I could research various technology for us. Things like weapons, omni-tool programs, improved ship systems and anything else we might need."

"I think we can provide that," Hackett affirmed.

"We might as well just hire a different engineer at this point," Lyrel noted to Kevin.

"Yeah," Kevin agreed.

Vala didn't hear them though as she thought about the possibilities of what she could do with a well-equipped tech lab connected to the mainframe housed in that room. She didn't snap out of her musings until she felt large hands rest upon her waist and pull her close. She pulled his arms around her and entwined her fingers with his.

"I know you're excited about this room, but we should continue with the tour. We get to go to the engineering deck next," he whispered next to her head.

She pulled away from him but held on to his hand, pulling him out of the room and through the infirmary. Lyrel and Hackett were waiting for them by the elevator, but before they got on Kevin stopped and looked toward the crew quarters on the starboard side of the ship.

"Make a note. The starboard side crew quarters will be yours complete with your very own clean room. Set it up how you like and let the folks who will be doing the retrofitting know."

Vala looked to Hackett who nodded in response indicating that it would be covered. She started poking at her data pad excitedly, making notes about her new quarters and the lab that she was going to be able to set up. She hadn't been this excited in a long time. Though no one could see it, she had a huge smile on her face as she entered the elevator with Kevin in tow.


	6. Black Widow Part 3

**Black Widow Part 3**

**Engineering Deck:**

As they left the elevator they were confronted with a large window that ran the length of the long hallway they were in; which was nearly the width of the widest part of the ship's fuselage. Through the window they could look down upon the very large cargo hold. Just looking through the window Kevin could see that it was meant to hold a lot of cargo. There was a crane hanging from the ceiling, meant for moving crates around the hold. There were three Kodiak shuttles as well as a vehicle that Kevin was unfamiliar with.

"I think that cargo bay could almost fit the _Quasimodo_ in it," Lyrel exaggerated while admiring it through the window.

"You know? You might be right," Kevin replied.

"What's a kasimoto?" Vala inquired looking at Kevin.

"Quasimodo was a character in an old human story. It was also the name of our old ship that was destroyed in the war. I named it that because it looked like it had a hunch back."

"Hunch back? You mean like a krogan?"

"Sure. You could say that."

"It was a silly name to be sure," Lyrel said sardonically. "I hope you'll come up with a better name for this ship."

"Still working on that part."

"Spirits save us!"

Kevin elbowed Lyrel in the arm and she pushed him back in return as they made their way toward the starboard cargo room. When they entered they found that it wasn't quite what they had imagined. Instead of being a large empty room, there was a desk with a terminal on it, shutters that opened so they could look out into space and a trash compactor on the other end of the very large room.

"When the Alliance got a hold of the Normandy, we took out the trash compactor. It ended up becoming the quarters for a war reporter during the War. If you want we can do something similar with this ship."

"Yes, please. We'll need all the quarters we can get. This can be our engineer's quarters."

"Actually, do you think we could get a clean room put in here as well?" Vala inquired.

"Why? Do you have an idea for an engineer?" Kevin asked.

"I might. I'll have to talk to him first though to see if he would be interested."

"Good stuff. Let me know soon so we can decide on the extra clean room."

They then headed to the port side cargo hold which was set up to be a sort of control room for the primary cargo hold that could be viewed through a window overlooking the hold. There were control panels and inventory computers set up along the far wall.

"I think this room can stay as it is with one exception. Let's get some chairs that a volus can get into and adjust so he can work at the consoles. Preferably portable, perhaps on wheels," Kevin said.

"You know he hates it when you do that Kevin," Lyrel quipped with a smile.

"Yeah well he can bite me. Oh wait," Kevin replied getting a barking laugh from Lyrel.

Kevin looked at the wall across from the door and it was lined with cabinets and large refrigeration units.

"Yeah it's best we keep those," Kevin observed. "This room is going to stay as is. Let's move on and see the actual engineering room."

Hackett led them out of the port cargo hold and one of the doors to enter the engineering section was shortly to their right. The first section they entered appeared to be a maintenance area of sorts. Hackett pointed to a stairway to the left explaining that it descended to an area that had access portals, crawl ways, and equipment used for the maintenance of the ship.

They walked through the inner door to finally see the engineering room. Vala immediately walked over to the nearest console and started poking at it, bringing up various schematics.

"It appears that there are some safety issues on this ship," she observed.

"Yes, they were a flaw on the new Normandy as well. Fortunately, they were successfully fixed afterwards and we'll be able to do the same thing while the ST-1 is docked here," Hackett explained.

"Good."

Vala walked over to the next console. Behind her was a pathway leading to the engine room, from which there was a glow coming from. Vala poked at this second console for a little bit until she was able to find a way to turn on some lights in the engine room.

"It seems you have caught on to the systems pretty easily," Lyrel observed looking into the engine room.

"It's really not that hard if you have an idea of what you are looking for."

Vala turned and looked at the engine room as well.

"That has got to be one of the biggest drive cores for a ship this size I have ever seen."

"No wonder it felt so responsive when I flew it."

"I don't have the expertise to really explain how the stealth drive works but some people who do are on their way to the station as we speak. They should get here in a day or so. Hopefully that will give you enough time to find another engineer. The Normandy is a busy ship so they won't have very much time here."

"Wait. The Normandy is coming here to train us on this ship?" Vala asked a little excitedly.

Hackett knew why she was getting excited at the prospect.

"Yes. The crew will be helping you learn the various systems of the ship since they are very similar to the Normandy's. We felt they could use a short break from the work they are doing."

Vala just stood there staring at the drive core, not saying a word.

"You alright Vala?" a concerned Kevin asked.

Vala didn't answer but Hackett chimed in assured in his knowledge of the Normandy crew.

"She may just be absorbing the fact that she's going to meet a legend amongst the quarian people."

"Oh," Kevin said a little confused until he realized whom Hackett was talking about. "Oh!"

At that they left the engineering deck, Kevin snapping Vala out of her trance by gently tugging on her arm to follow them.

**Cargo Deck:**

"And here we are at the end of our tour," Hackett said as they stepped out of the elevator.

They stepped out into a short hallway, unadorned steel walls on either side of them. It took them about ten steps to exit the hallway into the large cargo bay of the ship. The bay was mostly empty except for the three shuttle craft and the other vehicle that Kevin wasn't familiar with.

It had a tail complete with vertical and horizontal stabilizers and a couple of what looked like propulsion engines on either side of the machine. It didn't have any wheels and there was some sort of canon on the top. Kevin pointed at it and addressed Hackett.

"What the hell is that?"

"That is an M-44 Hammerhead. It's a lightly armored infantry vehicle. It moves by hovering and what looks like a canon on the top is actually a guided missile launcher."

Kevin stared at it for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Can we keep it?"

"I was actually going to ask if you wanted to replace it with another shuttle but if you really want to keep it that's fine. I do recommend you get some kinetic barriers installed on it though."

"Vala?" Kevin asked without looking away.

"Oh. I'll be able to do that and more with my new lab," Vala replied, punching notes into her data pad while softly giggling.

Kevin, Lyrel, and Hackett all stared at her at that.

"Dear god! I'm dating a mad scientist!"

"What? I'm not angry."

Lyrel started cackling at his realization and lost it when Vala replied. Hackett just shook his head in amusement.

"If you look back toward where we came in…" Hackett started saying, trying to get everyone back on track. "…you'll notice that there are two very large rooms on either side of the hallway we walked through. On the starboard side are more barracks and the port side is another armory. That armory is empty though."

"Barracks and another armory? What for?" Kevin inquired, wondering what could possibly warrant another barracks and armory, in the cargo hold of all places.

"This ship isn't just meant for cargo transport but also for troop transport. More specifically shock troop transport and infiltration. All along the walls you'll notice narrow doorways. Each doorway leads to a single use pod, similar to an escape pod that can be launched from high orbit onto a planet or moon. Each pod can hold one shock trooper, and there are a total number of twenty pods, ten on the port side and another ten on the starboard."

"Stealth system, weapons, and now these troop drop pods. This sounds more like a warship than a cargo ship," Vala noted.

"It's a little bit of both really," Lyrel responded while examining one of the pods.

"She has the right of it," Hackett added. "Based on what information we could find at the Cerberus base, this ship was meant to be a support ship that worked in tandem with the Normandy. Where the Normandy had more speed and maneuverability, lending it an advantage in a firefight, the ST-1 was capable of carrying a lot more troops and cargo thanks to its size."

"Why wasn't it ever used?" Kevin asked.

"It wasn't finished yet when Commander Shepard defected from Cerberus with the Normandy. Cerberus likely finished it later thinking to use it as a replacement for the Normandy instead. They were wiped out before they could put the finishing touches on it though. That's what we get to do now."

Kevin studied the wall, noting that the doors were evenly spaced with roughly 3 -4 meters of separation between them.

"Considering that you are planning on making us Corsairs, I take it this might be something you would like us to keep?"

"Absolutely, though hopefully we won't use it often since they are single use. It would get expensive and tedious to have to replace them very often. They should only be used if we need to drop a small amount of troops into a very hot situation. The shuttles still have to be used to pick them up."

Kevin just nodded with his arms crossed while stroking his goatee as if deep in thought.

"I know you're going to have a lot on your plate Vala, but I would like you to study these pods and see if you come up with ways to make them more than single use before we leave the station. Since these interest the Alliance I'm sure they will be more than willing to pony up the money and resources to make them more efficient."

He then turned back to the barracks and armory and gave a deep sigh before speaking again.

"Well, sorry to say this but if we are going to transport soldiers, they're going to have to suffer because I need that space for a few more private quarters."

He was about to walk over to the barracks when an idea dawned on him. He turned back to the walls, noting again the space between each pod.

"On second thought, there is enough space between each pod to accommodate for a retractable, full sized bed and a personal locker big enough for them to keep their armor and weapons. In fact we could even add a seat that they can strap themselves into on the other side of the locker."

Kevin turned back to the barracks and took a moment to think about how exactly he wanted to set the private quarters up.

"We'll split the starboard side barracks into two separate private quarters, and the port side armory will be one private quarters because we need someplace big enough for Gurz."

He walked over to the starboard side room, pulling Vala along so that she could take some more notes about what he was going to explain.

"We'll split it down the middle, giving equal space for the occupants. The room closest to the wall here will be guest quarters, just in case we need them, and the room closest to the middle will be for our volus crewman, Naru Tan. I want the room properly separated though ventilation wise and the walls sealed properly because we're going to make it so he can regulate the atmospheric pressure and temperature as well as change the air content so that he can go suit less in his own room."

"What about the guest room? Wouldn't it be wise to do that room as well just in case?" Vala asked while poking at her data pad.

"No. If we get another Volus as a guest they can stay with Naru. Making it so two rooms can do that would be pushing the good graces of the Alliance I think."

Kevin looked back toward Hackett but he wasn't paying attention to them, but rather he was talking to Lyrel about something that he couldn't discern. Lyrel however did look at him while they were talking and gave him a wink.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Kevin said, earning a glance from Vala who was still making entries into her data pad. "I think we're finally done with our tour. Let's head back because this was exhausting. We'll look over all the notes and make any refinements later before we give them over to the Alliance."

Kevin and Vala walked back over to Hackett and Lyrel, indicating they were done. They all headed back to the command deck, looking around and making mental notes before they finally stepped back through the airlock, finishing what felt like a very long day.

**Docking Bay overlooking the ST-1:**

Hackett excused himself as they stepped off the docking tube. He had a lot of arrangements to make and orders to sign to make this venture legitimate. Kevin, Lyrel, and Vala however, stayed in the docking bay, taking seats that gave them a view of the ST-1 through the viewing window. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lyrel finally broke the silence.

"Have you decided on a name yet? I also assume you want to change the color scheme."

"Oh hell yeah. There is no way I'm flying around in Cerberus colors. We'll get enough attention without everyone going, 'Oh shit! It's Cerberus! Run!'"

Both Lyrel and Vala laughed at that and Vala leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. Kevin promptly put his arm around her shoulders. Not one to be left out, Lyrel did the exact same thing, eliciting a chuckle from him before he put his other arm around her as well. They sat there in silence again for a few moments. This time it was Vala who spoke up.

"I'm kind of partial to black and red," she said through a yawn.

"Ooo. I am too," Lyrel agreed from his other shoulder.

Kevin just gave a slight smile and nodded.

"That does seem to be a common theme in my life right now doesn't it," he stated more than asked.

He could feel both of them shake a little at his statement as they laughed to themselves. Vala adjusted her position prompting him to look at her. He once again spied the red hourglass pattern on the top of her hood.

"I think I know what to name her as well."

"As long as it isn't _Quasimodo_. I don't think I would like being called Vala'Sun vas Quasimodo."

"You mean you're going to change your name from vas Rannoch?" Lyrel inquired turning her head on his shoulder so she could look at him, amusement showing in her eyes.

Kevin looked back at her and narrowed his eyes while mouthing, "You shut your mouth."

He couldn't help but smile a little while he said it though and Lyrel rested her head back onto his shoulder smiling to herself, though a little sadness showed in her eyes as well. He had never shown any sort of romantic interest toward her, but she couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

_It's probably because since the day you met him he has treated you better than anyone else ever has,_ she thought with a tinge of pain showing in her eyes.

There was another moment of silence before Vala spoke up again.

"I guess having grown up on ships, it's hard to consider Rannoch my home," Vala explained after a few moments of thinking about it.

Lyrel then poked at Kevin's leg.

"Are you going to tell us this name you have rolling around in your head?"

Kevin just smiled and looked at the ship, imagining it painted black with red lines and a red hourglass painted on the underside of the cargo bay.

"Black Widow," he finally said after keeping them in suspense for a couple more moments.

Lyrel's eyes widened as she looked at the ship and gave a, "Hm."

Vala thought about it for a moment and then stated wistfully, "Vala'Sun vas Black Widow. I think I can live with that. Though I will have to ask you one of these days what a black widow is, besides a large rifle."

After that they all sat in silence, heads resting on his shoulders, and dreaming about the adventures they would have together on their new ship.

* * *

_Thanks for those who have stuck through these last 3 chapters. Things will finally get changed up a little bit in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!_


	7. Razza

**Razza**

**2183 - Quasimodo:**

Angry, red eyes glared back at him as he cowered in a corner of the cargo bay. The ship's engineer, Rawlings, whom he had been beating on, was moaning on the floor with Lyrel standing between them. Near the engineer was the crate that had the false bottom filled with red sand. He had bought it with his own money to sell on Omega the next time they stopped there.

"What the hell is going on in here?" came the voice that made him close his eyes and sigh.

He clutched at his shoulder where that overgrown bird had dug her talons in while pulling him off that snoopy engineer. He opened his eyes again to see her still glaring at him, but now Captain Trygg was there too, leaning over the engineer but peering at him out of the corner of his eye. Undoubtedly he could see the blood coating his hands.

"What was this about Phil?"

He didn't answer though, instead watching as Rawlings weakly pointed to the opened crate nearby. Trygg walked over to the crate and peered inside. His eyes widened as he reached in and pulled out a vacuum sealed bag full of red powder.

"Naru, I need you to come to the cargo bay immediately," he said over the ship's intercom.

Trygg then turned back to him, disappointment etched across his face.

"This crate was from the shipment you brought on board at our last docking wasn't it?"

Before he could answer the door hissed open and he saw their diminutive, round, enviro-suited crew member walk into the cargo bay. He paused when he saw the scene in front of him."

"Oh dear!" he exclaimed in a raspy, modulated voice.

"What is it?" came a much deeper voice from behind the volus.

In walked their gigantic member, Jorgal Gurz.

"Seems I missed all the fun," he observed matter-of-factly.

"Naru, I need you to find all the crates that XO Renly brought onto the ship at our last stop. Gurz you can help him."

He watched over the next few minutes as they pulled several of his crates, opening them up and finding more bags of red sand in the false bottoms of the crates. When they were finally done they had twenty-five bags, each bag weighing a kilo. Captain Trygg stared at the drugs for a few moments before he turned back to him.

"Why did you bring these on my ship?" he asked calmly with disappointment still etched on his face.

"_Your_ ship?" Philip asked as his temper started to flare again. "We wouldn't even have this ship if it wasn't for me! We pooled our resources to buy this ship remember?"

"Oh I remember. What I don't remember is agreeing to traffic in illicit drugs."

"Money's money! Who cares where it comes from?"

"I do; and I'm the Captain."

"You wouldn't have even known if it wasn't for him!"

"Well now I do know and I'm not covering for you anymore. The drugs I might have been more lenient on. You didn't stop there though."

Trygg looked at Rawlings, who had gingerly propped himself against a crate and was applying medigel.

"This isn't the first time you've gone out of control. You have left dead clients, beaten strangers and now our very own engineer in your wake. Your violence will no longer be tolerated on this ship."

Captain Trygg's calm demeanor during his berating infuriated him even more but when he tried to lunge at him he was grabbed by Lyrel who twisted his left arm around his back while kicking the back of his knee to subdue him, making him cry out in pain.

"Space it," Captain Trygg said to the krogan, who gathered up the drugs and carried them to the airlock.

"What? Do you realize how many credits that is worth? I spent my own credits on that shit!"

"You shouldn't have gone behind my back Philip," Captain Trygg responded before looking at Lyrel. "Lock him up in the port side storage room."

He heard the airlock open as Lyrel dragged him to his feet. He tried to struggle, screaming in rage, but all he accomplished was getting one of her bony knees in his gut; turning his screams of rage into coughing. The last thing he saw was a metal railing rushing toward his head before everything went black.

**2188 - Terminus Systems – Afterlife's Favor:**

He awoke with a start, his body covered with sweat. He hated that dream, but for some reason he couldn't get away from it. He had hoped that being in command of a ship now would make those dreams go away. It had been 6 months since he was given command of _Afterlife's_ _Favor_ but the dreams still wouldn't go away.

He got out of bed and walked over to the sink in his quarters, looking in the mirror at his tired face. He splashed water on his face to help wake him up. As he slowly came out of his tired stupor he started to notice that something was off.

"Why aren't we moving?" he asked while looking at the door to his quarters.

He threw on some clothes, not really caring how he looked. What he did care about was what he had strapped to his hip. On this ship he needed to be armed. He was surrounded by people who had no loyalty beyond themselves and if they got ambitious, they had no problem with betrayal if it suited their needs. He strapped his M-5 Phalanx to his hip and put a fresh thermal clip in it.

He left his quarters and headed straight to the bridge. His quarters weren't far from the bridge and there weren't very many people there when he got there, which was normal for the night shift.

"Captain Renly," a sweet voice greeted him as he entered the bridge.

It was his XO, an asari with bright blue skin and head crests that she liked to dye green. She was currently a part of the night shift.

"What's going on Tava?"

"We've flown into an uncharted solar system. We're running scans to find out what this system consists of."

As if on cue, one of the techs on the bridge, a salarian, spoke up from his station.

"Scans finished! The second planet from the star appears to be habitable. Scans indicate there may be some metallic structures in orbit around the planet."

"What do you want to do Captain?" Tava asked, deferring to him for this decision.

"Let's check it out. Maybe we'll find something we can sell for some creds at least."

It was 15 minutes before the ship arrived at the planet. The land had a green tinge with several large bodies of blue water dotting the planet. The same tech from before spoke up again.

"It appears to be a jungle planet. Based on the technology that is in orbit, it seems the planet is home to a sentient species of life that is just starting a space program."

The tech paused for a moment, poking at his display.

"In fact, it appears one of the machines orbiting the planet has a single life sign in it."

Renly smirked in response.

"Well, looks like this day got more interesting."

**Orbital Pod #1:**

Her fur stood on end in excitement. Her hands worked in a fury across the knobs and buttons of her pod. She tried to communicate with launch control back on Helia but for some reason her radio wasn't working. She looked out one of the round windows in the side of her pod. That huge ship was moving closer to her pod. There was some sort of writing on the side but she couldn't read it.

"I don't know if you are getting this but a huge ship has just entered orbit with Helia!" she called over the radio that was supposed to connect her with civilization.

Her voice shook with excitement. They have wondered for decades, even centuries if they were alone in the galaxy, and now here is the answer right in front of her. The ship looked a little bit like a blade or spear, very intimidating. She didn't feel scared though. She was too excited to be scared. Her people had always been curious, and curiosity always seemed to override any other emotion that they had.

She continued to watch the ship as it got closer when suddenly some large doors started to open on the underside of the ship.

"They're going to take my pod into their ship," she said over the radio again, hoping that someone was getting her calls.

Now she started to panic a little. Her curiosity wasn't helping her much anymore.

"Get it together Razza," she whispered. "You trained for this."

She saw a mechanical arm that started to stretch out from the opening doors.

"Who are you kidding Razza? You trained for living in a cramped pod in space, not for first contact."

She couldn't help but let out a worried little whine as her pod was enveloped by the shadow of the ship. The pod shook as the arm took hold, eliciting a yelp from its occupant.

**Afterlife's Favor - Cargo Bay:**

Philip watched as the pod was lowered to the floor of the cargo bay by the arm that had plucked it out of the vacuum. The pod was shaped like an egg with a flat bottom. It had round windows spaced evenly along its hull and there were figures that he didn't understand painted or etched into the hull. There was a primitive feel to the pod.

"Reminds me of something from a museum of Earth's history," he said aloud, earning a look from his XO who was standing next to him.

There were two other humans and a krogan with him as well. They were all armed but he had given explicit instructions not to kill whatever was in the pod. He wanted it alive because he had plans for it. He knew of a particular trader in the Terminus Systems who liked to collect rare specimens, sentient and non-sentient, and he couldn't think of anything much rarer than a previously unknown sentient species.

_At least that was one thing I was able to keep from you Trygg_, he thought.

They left the sealed control room after the cargo bay doors had closed and sealed. It didn't take long for the atmosphere and pressure to go back to habitable levels. After they reached the pod, they stared at it wondering what they should do. They didn't wait long though before a hatch opened on the pod.

**Razza:**

She stepped out of the pod wearing her space suit. She checked the atmosphere around her pod before she opened the hatch and was informed that it was habitable, but she didn't want to take any chances. Once she had stepped out she was facing the large doors that her pod had been pulled in through. She checked the analog gauges on her arm and they indicated the same thing her pod did, atmosphere was breathable and of adequate pressure.

"What are the odds of that?" she mumbled to herself.

She depressurized her suit and took off her helmet as she looked around the bay. She heard footsteps and quickly turned to the direction that they were coming from. There were five individuals approaching her.

_They're bipedal?_ she thought while peering at her hosts. _And they have similar features to falani. How was this possible?_

The creature with a small of amount of what looked like black fur on top of his head, at least she thought he was male, was speaking in some language she didn't understand to the bright blue creature standing next to him. The blue creature looked female. There were two others similar to the first creature with the black fur, though one of them had fur on his face rather than his head, and his skin was a darker shade. What really got her attention though was the very large creature standing behind them. It looked reptilian, had a boney plate on the top of its head and what looked like a hump on its back.

She slowly put her helmet down on the floor and started to unbuckle her suit. They seemed to be dressed rather casually and she wanted to look as non-threatening as possible.

**Philip:**

Philip watched as the creature was taking off its bulky space suit. Based on its facial features, which other than the eyes, ears, teeth and fur looked quite human to his surprise, he guessed that it was female. It had a nose similar to a human's, medium sized and covered in black fur like the rest of its face. Its eyes were almond shaped and lavender colored, with vertical slits for pupils, like a cat's. Its ears were long, stretching from the side of its head and ending in a point several centimeters above the top of its head. It had smiled at them when it first looked at them and he could tell that it was carnivorous. All of its teeth were sharp and its canines, both top and bottom, were several centimeters longer than the rest of its teeth.

The creature finished pulling off its space suit but still wore a jump suit of some sort. It stood back up to its full height, which he guessed must have been about 6 feet, just a tad taller than him. _Her_ flight suit was form fitting however, easily confirming what he had guessed based upon her face. She was fairly shapely and could have easily been considered attractive by human and even asari standards, if the cooing noise that his XO had just made was any indication. She had a very feline feel about her, both graceful and poised, which added to her appeal.

"It's too bad really," Philip said aloud, though not really addressing any of the others around him. "If she wasn't more valuable to me as a trade, I might have kept her for myself."

He then gestured to the two other humans to go grab her.

**Razza:**

The creature with the black fur on his head said something more she couldn't understand and then gestured toward her. The other two creatures similar to him started approaching, but they didn't seem like they were going to be friendly. They're faces had a disconcerting look. She started to back away from them looking for somewhere to run to but before she could find a place they reached her and grabbed onto her arms. She went on the defensive, easily throwing one of them several feet through the air at the leader. He wasn't able to get out of the way fast enough and was knocked off his feet. She heard him make some sort of angry sound as he pushed the other one from off of him.

The second creature that had grabbed her she also sent flying, this time toward the blue creature, who dove out of the way. The large creature wasn't fazed, however, and charged. She tried to put some distance between them but the giant was moving too fast. Unable to maneuver out of the way of the giant creature, she planted her feet to meet it head on. Big mistake. The giant hit her with such a force that she was thrown back against her pod, knocking the back of her head against the hull and stunning her.

"You bitch!" she heard someone say, though she didn't understand what it meant.

Whoever it was that said it though sounded angry and it wasn't even a second later that she felt something kick her in the gut. She cried out in pain as she was kicked again and again. The kicking finally stopped after what felt liked forever,and she was weeping.

"Please stop." she tried to say but instead all she did was cough. She could see red drops had sprayed across the floor in front of her. She clutched at her belly while curled up on the floor. Her vision was blurred by tears as she tried to look up to see the face of her assailant. The creature with the black fur on his head was being held back by the giant while the blue one was trying to calm him down. His face was contorted in rage and it made her quickly look away. He had a bad face.

She closed her eyes in pain, still coughing up blood, and a few minutes later the angry yelling finally stopped. Suddenly the collar of her suit was grabbed, making her yelp in fear. She wasn't attacked this time though. Instead she was being dragged across the floor. She opened her eyes to see large, three toed feet stepping near her head. She was dragged into a small room and felt even woozier as it moved upward. When it stopped she was dragged down another hallway and into a room. Before she could get any sort of orientation the giant threw her into another small room. She hit the wall of the small cell with a pained yelp. She fell to the floor and immediately curled up in pain. She heard a hissing sound as the room went pitch black.

_Is this what the galaxy is like?_ she wondered in despair. _Is everyone this cruel?_

She closed her eyes again, softly weeping, wishing that she hadn't volunteered to be the first of her kind to go into space.


	8. In the Way of Our Fists

**In the Way of Our Fists**

**2188 – New Arcturus Station – Black Widow:**

There was a bustle of activity as Kevin was reviewing the retrofits to his ship. It had been six months since he had been given the ship and the retrofits went quickly and smoothly. Now the retrofitters were packing up and getting ready to leave, but he wanted to make sure that everything was in place.

"Dammit!"

He heard the curse as he strode off of the elevator onto the crew deck. It came from the Port Observatory so he headed over there to find out what was going on. The door hissed open revealing an amusing scene.

There was a makeshift poker table set up in the middle of the room. Around it were three Alliance officers, who had already lost their shirts, literally. Lyrel was the fourth player and she was looking awfully pleased with herself.

"Well, I see you're having fun Lyrel," he observed with a lopsided grin.

"You should join us. I wouldn't mind seeing you disrobed as well," she responded with a wink.

"Keep trying babe."

Kevin turned to one of the Alliance officers, who looked more comfortable with his predicament than the other two.

"Why is it that almost every time I see you, you don't have a shirt on Vega?"

"I can't help it if the ladies can't resist this physique," he replied while flexing.

"Actually, I think I prefer Joker here," Lyrel stated while gesturing at one of the other officers.

"What?" both Vega and Joker squeaked.

"Well, I'd say that deflated Vega's ego a little bit," Kaidan, the third officer, noted from across the table with a chuckle.

"Just be gentle Lyrel. Joker is rather fragile," Kevin pointed out from behind a now very worried looking Joker. "Don't want to break the Normandy's helmsman before they leave. The Alliance might not like that."

"Oh, I can be gentle," Lyrel affirmed with a mischievous look in her eyes.

Kevin could hear a little whining sound from Joker as he left the room. He made his way towards the kitchen, noting that it was still empty. Gurz hadn't really made up his mind yet on whether or not he was going to join them. He had some things to work out, but Kevin hoped that Gurz would finally decide to join them. He liked the big lug.

"You're part of the family too big guy," Kevin whispered to the kitchen counter as he leaned against it with both hands.

He checked the refrigerator, noting that there were plenty of dextro rations, both normal and sterilized. This was good considering that they had taken on three more quarians. As it turned out, Vala had a brother who in turn had a mate and a child. According to Vala, her family was fined when they became pregnant with her, since there are usually restrictions on how many children a family can have.

He was leery at first, having a child on the _Black Widow._ Odds are this ship would see combat. He explained that to Vala but she insisted that her brother and his mate were both accomplished engineers, essentially giving them two engineers for the price of one. Kevin was still ready to say no, but then the little tyke bumped into his leg while rolling around in her sterile bubble that looked like a hamster ball, and looked up at him with big glowing eyes. Now they had two engineers and a toddler.

Kevin sighed as he walked to the main battery, wondering if that Turian was still in there calibrating their weapons systems. The door hissed open but there was no one there.

_Must be getting a drink at Gurz's bar. I'll have to go check on both of them, _Kevin thought as he made his way to the infirmary.

They still didn't have a doctor. Those were in short supply right now, though, so he didn't think they would get one any time soon. He could hear voices coming from Vala's lab so he decided to go see what's up. The door hissed open to reveal Vala and Tali both looking at something on Tali's omni-tool.

"And human men really like it when you do this," Tali explained before they both realized that they were no longer alone.

They all gave each other deer in headlights looks before Kevin finally spoke up.

"I think I hear Lyrel calling," he explained as he pointed behind him while his face turned bright red. "I'll just go see what she wants."

"Wait!" Vala called to him. "We were about finished anyways, I think."

"I can just send you the rest to your omni-tool," Tali offered sheepishly.

She didn't look at him while she did so, possibly out of embarrassment, though it was hard to tell behind the mask. Lord knows his face was red. There was a tone on Vala's omni-tool indicating that a file had been shared with her. With that done, Tali left the room in a hurry, still not looking at him, and made a beeline for the elevator.

"I hope she isn't mad at me," Kevin remarked as he turned to Vala.

"No. She's just shy," Vala assured him. "Look, about what you just heard…"

Kevin interrupted her by making a halting signal with his hand.

"I'm sure I'll find out about it later."

"Oh, I'm sure you will too," Vala playfully assured him while bumping into him.

Kevin wrapped his arms around her while leaning back on one of the lab benches. They both stared at the mainframe for a few moments, which was powered off at the time, before either of them spoke.

"How do you like your new lab?" Kevin inquired while looking around at the various monitors and equipment that could be seen through the lab.

Vala just giggled in response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kevin confirmed with a smile.

He rubbed her belly a little, eliciting another giggle as she leaned into him and stuck her belly out. They had grown a lot closer over the past six months, and, in that time, he had learned a few of her little idiosyncrasies; like how she liked having her belly rubbed, even over an enviro-suit. They hadn't slept together yet as that could still be hard on her, but she had been spending more and more time with him without her mask on. He was thinking about how soft her pale skin was when his omni-tool chimed. Kevin sighed and answered it, confronted by another quarian. It was Vala's brother.

"You have impeccable timing," Kevin stated to the figure on his omni-tool. "What's up?"

"Sorry to have disturbed you sir. I was wondering if you could come down to engineering. There were some things that Kara and I wanted to discuss with you."

"Alright. I'll be there in a moment."

Kevin deactivated his omni-tool and looked at Vala. She was still leaning against him, wiggling her hips playfully.

"I guess this means you have to go," she whined.

"I can make them wait. I am the Captain after all."

"Mmm. Well these empty lab tables _are_ starting to look inviting," she playfully pointed out.

Kevin's eyes widened at that and she pulled away from him while giggling.

"Later," she promised while putting a hand on his chest. "I have some things I need to do as well."

"What sort of things?" Kevin inquired as he moved toward the door.

"I have some packages to pick up at one of the other docking ports," Vala explained while looking at some of the equipment. "A couple of them are surprises though, so you can't come with me."

"I see. Well, in that case I don't suppose you'll be wondering by Gurz's bar on your way there will you?"

"It's on the way. Do you want me to relay a message for you?"

"Actually, I want you to check and see if Garrus is there. If he is can you find out if he's done with our weapons systems?"

"Yes, I can do that."

"Thanks, Vala," Kevin smiled as he backed out the door.

"Anytime Love," she whispered, knowing he wouldn't have heard her anyway.

Vala left shortly afterwards with a spring in her step. She was imagining Kevin's reaction when she gave him his presents.

**Arcturus Station – Outside Reaper's Bane Bar and Grill:**

Vala was walking through the corridor approaching Gurz's bar. She was going over a few things on her omni-tool, distracted, and not entirely paying attention to where she was going, when she bumped into a turian.

"Oh! Excuse me, sir!" she apologized to the turian.

"You're damn right you're sorry, suit rat!" he furiously exclaimed as he shoved her against a wall. "Ever since the war ended I've been surrounded by you filth!"

He shoved her against the wall again, this time more forcefully. He had a very menacing look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Vala cried. "Please don't hurt me!"

**Gurz:**

He saw the whole event unfold outside his bar. He needed to do something.

"Hey turian," he addressed a blue armored turian at his bar. "Want to get control of that turian out there before I space him for messing with my Captain's girl?"

Garrus turned to see what was happening outside.

"Son of a bitch," Garrus mumbled as he got up from the bar.

"I prefer the airlock option myself," observed the leaf-headed alien sitting next to him. He didn't get up, however, instead opting to just turn and watch.

Things got truly violent outside, though, as the turian took a swipe at Vala, ripping her suit and drawing blood on her right arm.

"That's it," Gurz calmly proclaimed as he pulled off his apron. "Skeav, you have the bar," he informed another krogan at the bar as he headed for the entrance.

**Vala:**

She gripped her arm where the turian had swiped at her with his talons.

_Apparently, it takes a lot more than helping their people to get rid of all prejudice, _she thought as she braced herself for another attack.

The attack didn't come though as her aggressor was yanked away abruptly and thrown against an opposite wall by the turian she recognized from the Normandy. She could also see Gurz heading toward the bar's entryway, his dark blue head plate bobbing amongst the assembling crowd.

She started to head back to the ship, still gripping her arm. She was not worried about the rip in her suit since her immune system was improved enough to withstand that. The cuts however were another matter.

She did not get far, though, before she was suddenly picked up off her feet and cradled on massive arms.

"Don't worry little quarian," a deep, rumbling voice assured her. "I'll take you back to your ship."

She looked back past one of Gurz's arms in time to see the prothean, named Javik, dragging the flailing turian down the corridor saying something about wanting to toss the turian out an airlock. Garrus was following shortly behind saying something about it all being out of his hands now.

"Are they really going to kill him?" she asked Gurz, looking up at one of his yellow, reptilian eyes. His orange scales glittered in the artificial light of the station.

"Naaaw. They're just going to scare him a little," he assured her. "By the time they're done with him, he won't be able to even look at a quarian without pissing in his panties."

Vala chuckled at the imagery that elicited in her head. She looked back again and saw Garrus getting smaller, remembering that she was supposed to talk to him.

_Sorry Kevin, I guess that will have to wait, _she thought. At the thought of Kevin, however, she remembered she had packages to pick up.

"Keelah! I have packages to pick up before the ship that brought them here leaves. If that happens, they won't be back for another two weeks."

"I can pick those up as soon as I drop you off," Gurz offered her.

"You sure?"

"Of course! You're part of the family now. Just give me the release authorization and docking bay number and you can consider it done."

"Thanks Gurz. That would mean a lot."

Gurz carried her in silence for a few moments before she finally spoke up again.

"By the way, it's not like my legs are broken or I was drugged. I'm fully capable of walking on my own," a slightly amused Vala informed him.

"I know. This way makes me look more chivalrous though," he explained to her before giving a deep, guttural laugh.

Vala just rolled her eyes, though she knew he couldn't really see her doing it.

"You should think about taking some hand to hand combat lessons from Lyrel. She's pretty good and has been training Kevin as well. She could probably fit you in on one of their sessions if they are still doing them." Gurz suggested to Vala after another moment of silence.

"Maybe I'll do that," Vala agreed. "Besides, it sounds like we'll be getting into skirmishes every once in a while."

"They do happen," Gurz confirmed.

"Have you taken any lessons like that?" she inquired of Gurz.

"Me? Ha! Krogan aren't balanced right for that type of fighting, with all the fancy kicking, blocking, dodging, and punching. The heavy hump on our backs changes our center of gravity completely. We have a much simpler discipline of hand-to-hand combat that we call, _In the Way of Our Fists._"

"What is that?"

"Anything that stands _in the way of our fists_ gets knocked the hell out."

Vala giggled at the obvious set-up that had gone right over her head. She was nervous the first time she had met the krogan, and his roughness didn't help at first either, but after a while she had grown to like him. Now, she found herself hoping that he would come with them as well.

**Black Widow – Crew Deck:**

Gurz left Vala's quarters so she could have some privacy while she tended her wounds and put on a new suit. He decided to go look at the kitchen before he left to get her packages, see what it looked like since he hadn't actually been on the ship yet. Vala told him where it was.

"Looks adequate," he approvingly said as he walked up to the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerators to see what was in them. He saw both levo and dextro based food. A lot of the dextro food was sterilized for quarians.

"Must be more than just Vala on here now," he observed.

As if in answer, he felt a bump against his right foot. He looked down to see a plastic bubble with a tiny child in it staring back up at him with big green eyes. He picked the child up and brought it up to eye level. Judging by the coloring of its skin and the number of fingers and toes it had, it was a quarian toddler. It had bushy, raven hair and was wearing a diaper of sorts, making it impossible for him to determine if it was a boy or a girl.

"You're a brave one, I'll give you that much. Most hatchlings would be screaming by now."

The child just cooed in response and smiled, slapping the plastic wall of its bubble with a three fingered hand.

"Um. Excuse me? sir?" a worried sounding, feminine, and modulated voice called out to him.

Gurz turned to see a quarian woman dressed in a red wrap with silver, swirly accents. She had her hands extended out to him, wanting him to give her the child. She was shaking a little, like she was nervous or scared.

_Well that just won't do,_ he thought as he gingerly handed the cooing toddler over to its mother.

The woman hurriedly grasped the child in her arms and gave a rushed thanks as she turned to walk out. She stopped, though, and turned back to address him.

"Is there, um, something I can help you with?"

"Naw, I'm just checking out my new kitchen is all."

"Wait. You're part of the crew?" she nervously asked.

"That he is," came a familiar voice before he could answer.

They both looked in the direction of the voice to see Lyrel round the corner from the Port Observation Lounge. Three Alliance officers rushed past behind her to get into the elevator.

"What was that about?" Gurz inquired as she leaned against the wall next to the kitchen.

"Oh, I just had a friendly game of strip poker with them. They lost… a lot," she informed him with a wink. "They were in a rush, though, because they got a call from their commander saying they were needed on the Normandy. Sounded important."

Gurz laughed about Lyrel's poker game while the quarian tried to leave quietly. She was stopped though when Lyrel decided to officially introduce them.

"I see you've met one of our newest members, Kara'Sun. She's Vala's sister-in-law and an engineer. Her mate, Penn, is probably downstairs in engineering. This little bundle of adventurous energy is Niri."

Lyrel wiggled her finger at the child bounced and giggled in response.

"Kara, this is Jorgal Gurz. He's our chef."

"It's nice to meet you, Kara," Gurz greeted the young quarian. "I should be going. Vala asked me to pick up some packages for her. And speaking of, you all should go check on her. I carried her back to the ship before I came to the kitchen."

Lyrel stopped leaning on the wall and had a concerned look on her face. Kara, as well, suddenly became rigid.

"What happened Gurz?" Lyrel inquired, the concern showing in her voice as well.

"Some pyjak turian still holding to old prejudices attacked her in front of my bar. That was a mistake on his part. Both Garrus and that prothean, Javik, were at the bar and the last I saw of the turian, he was being dragged by the prothean down the corridor toward an empty docking area with Garrus in tow. Unfortunately, we didn't get to her before the bastard clawed into her arm and drew blood."

Kara gasped and rushed to Vala's quarters with Lyrel in tow. Lyrel looked over her shoulder to Gurz, though, before she rounded the corner.

"Thanks Gurz. I'll let Kevin know what is going on. Go ahead and get her packages. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Lyrel stood in front of Vala's door for a moment until she was told it was safe for her to enter. Gurz headed to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. When the doors opened, another quarian, this one male, walked out in a rush, and bumped into Gurz.

"Oh! I'm sorry… wait. You're the one who brought my sister back to the ship, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. And don't worry about bumping into me; I know you're in a rush." Gurz assured him.

"Thank you for bringing her back here."

"Of course. Anything for a fellow shipmate."

"Shipmate?" Penn whispered as he stared at Gurz a little confused.

Gurz just smiled at him as the elevator hissed closed.

**New Arcturus Station – Docking Bay 12:**

Gurz left the docking bay with four packages in hand. It took some persuasion, and one comm call, to get the docking authority to release the packages, that turned out to be weapons of some kind, to a krogan. They had finally released them a few moments earlier and now he was on his way back to the _Black Widow_. He was thinking about when he had started to like and respect quarians. It was back on Palaven, during the war. He was snapped out of his reverie when his omni-tool started toning, indicating he had an incoming call. It was from Kevin.

"_Hey Gurz. I heard you finally decided to join us today,"_ Kevin greeted from the omni-tool.

"I couldn't let you and Lyrel have all the fun now could I?" Gurz responded with a smile.

"_Of course not! I also hear that you were responsible for getting Vala back to the ship safely. I thank you for that."_

"No problem. You know me and quarians. We have a thing."

"_Yeah,"_ Kevin agreed with a little sadness in his voice. "_That was a tough day for you."_

"It was a tough war for all."

"_Truer words were never spoken. Well, the reason I called was to see if you had picked up those packages yet."_

"I have," Gurz confirmed.

"_Good! I need you to get back to the ship ASAP. Admiral Hackett and Commander Shepard are here to brief us on our first mission. I want you here for it._

"Understood," he affirmed. "I'm on my way."

With that he cut the connection and picked the packages back up. He rushed back to the ship, not wanting to keep them waiting too long.

**Black Widow – Command Deck:**

Gurz passed through the airlock onto the command deck. He was greeted there by Vala, who had a new suit on with a white wrap.

"Glad to see you're doing well, Vala."

"Thanks. And thank you for carrying me back to the ship, even though you didn't need to," Vala appreciatively responded back with a slight giggle. "Come on. You can drop those off at the armory, which is on the way to the meeting room."

"Is that conveniently placed so people can get their guns before they go into a meeting?"

Vala giggled at that and Gurz grinned widely upon hearing her laugh. Gurz put the weapons down in the armory and then Vala led him through a firing range and into a hallway. Halfway down the hallway was a door to the right. Vala pointed to that door indicating that is where he needed to go.

"You're not going in there?" he inquired of her.

"The meeting isn't for me, but apparently they decided you should be there," she responded, not at all sad that she didn't have to go to the meeting.

"Alright. Well, thank you for showing me the way. I'll see you when it's done."

"Ok. I'll probably be in the armory checking the packages you delivered. Warn me when it's done though. Some of them are surprises for Kevin."

"Got it," and with that, Gurz headed into the meeting room.

Kevin, Lyrel, and some Alliance officer he hadn't seen before were on one side of the table opposite of Admiral Hackett and Commander Shepard. Kevin looked very frustrated and Lyrel had her arms crossed over chest; this was usually a sign that she was not happy about something.

"Look," Kevin started explaining, his frustration evident in his voice. "I understand that we are on a limited time table for this mission, but do you really want to put 20 highly trained, turian Blackwatch operatives in the untested shock pods and launch them from orbit at a planet? Because none of that sounds like a good idea."

"No we don't," Hackett replied. "But we don't have any choice in this case."

"There's always a choice, you just need to know what that choice is. Tell you what. We have to stop at Palaven to pick up these soldiers. Let's due the test there when we are picking them up. It should only take a few minutes and if the test is successful, excellent! If it isn't successful, well, we just saved a bunch of turians from becoming jelly."

Hackett looked over to the Commander, who nodded in response. "That seems like a reasonable idea. We'll go with that."

Kevin sighed in relief and Lyrel visibly relaxed again. Gurz looked over at the commander, who was dressed in his Alliance Blues. He was leaning on a cane. It was a miracle he was even standing at all. Doctors told him that he would always have to use that cane to walk around. The amount of damage he suffered was too much to fully heal.

"So, why am I here?" Gurz inquired, gaining their attention.

"You are going to end up being on the ground with the commandos. Krogan will be handy to have in this case, I'm sure." Commander Shepard answered.

"Will you be getting more?"

"The Normandy will be making a trip to Tuchanka to pick up a friend, before we head to Palaven. That is where you'll be meeting us so you can follow us the rest of the way to the objective," Shepard explained to him

"That's the other thing," Kevin spoke up again. "You really can't tell us where we are going?"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but no. The information is need-to-know for the civilians on this mission, and it has been determined that you will get that need-to-know once you arrive at the planet."

"Alright, fine. Does that mean we are done here?"

"If you have no further questions."

Both Kevin and Lyrel shook their heads. When they all looked at Gurz, he shook his head as well.

"Excellent. Meeting dismissed." Hackett announced.

The other Alliance officer in the room stood at attention as Admiral Hackett and Commander Shepard left the meeting room, heading back to the station.

"Alright, Lt. Romanova, Gurz, I need you guys to go and get everything you are taking with you. You heard the man, we leave in an hour."

Gurz stopped him, though, as he was about to leave the room.

"Who's she?" he inquired while motioning his head toward the Lt. who was leaving out the door.

"She's Lt. Ursula Romanova, weapons officer, and the Alliance's eyes and ears on this ship. They want to keep track of their investment. I figured that would happen. At least she's knowledgeable on her job," Kevin answered a little annoyed at the fact that she was here.

"I see. Well, I was wondering about Palaven…"

"I know what you are going to ask, but I'm afraid the answer is no," Kevin interrupted, a little sadness showing in his eyes. "You saw how hard it was to get time to test the pods that are important to the mission."

"I know. But I could take a shuttle to the spot while you guys do the tests. Surely you don't need me there for that," Gurz pleaded with him.

Kevin sighed and looked over at Lyrel. She was slowly nodding her head.

"Alright Gurz. You can go. The second I call you back to the ship though, you better come quickly.

"Thanks Captain!" Gurz excitedly clapped him on the shoulder before rushing out of the meeting room. "I'll go get my stuff now."

"One hour Gurz!" Kevin called to him, hoping he remembered.

"He needs to do this," Lyrel explained from the doorway.

"I know. I just wish we could give him more time." Kevin lamented with a look of regret. "Not much we can do now. Let's start getting the ship ready. She should probably have at least an hour of pre-flight prep before her maiden voyage with the new retrofits."

"Agreed."

They both left the meeting room wondering where exactly the Alliance was sending them too.


	9. Trophies

**Trophies**

**Afterlife's Favor – Terminus Systems:**

**Tava:**

It had been several days since they left the uncharted space, where they had picked up the unexpected… prisoner. Tava wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She had no problem taking captives, she had done some ransom work before, but this felt different.

Philip had no interest in the creature beyond whatever trade he would get for it, so he hadn't even checked on it since the day it was dragged away by the krogan. The creature itself refused to eat. Every day, food would go into her cell, and every day the food would come back out, untouched. The water was always gone so at least they wouldn't lose her to dehydration; but if she was to be traded in alive they needed to do something.

She was on her way to Philip's quarters right now. He refused to talk about the creature but this time she intended to use her _charms_ to get him to listen. This wouldn't be the first time she had slept with him in order to get something she wanted. It had actually become a regular occurrence, and not always with an ulterior motive.

She didn't bother making herself known, instead slipping into his room. He was already in bed when she got there so she quietly pulled off her clothes and slipped into bed next to him. She ran her fingers along his chest, getting his attention as he groggily opened his eyes and looked at her. He was about to say something, but she placed a lithe finger over his lips as she positioned herself over him.

"You just relax," she commanded him with a smile as she leaned over him, her eyes turning black.

Thirty minutes later they lied on their backs, bodies glistening with sweat.

"So, why exactly are you here, Tava?" Renly asked, used to getting these types of visits when she wanted something.

"You mean I can't come here just for the pleasure of it?"

"You always have an ulterior motive."

"Not always," Tava responded, adding a dramatic pause before she spoke again. "This time, however, you would be right. We need to talk about our guest."

Philip got out of bed with a frustrated grunt after Tava informed him why she had come. This was not a conversation that he felt like having.

"She's to be traded. I don't understand what is so difficult about that."

"I assume she is worth more alive?"

"Of course! Otherwise, I would have killed her right on the spot," Philip explained as he made frustrated gestures with his hands.

"Well, she won't be at this rate. She hasn't eaten since she was thrown in that cell."

"If she refuses to eat to keep herself alive than I can't be bothered with her. Liandra will just have to deal with getting a non-living specimen."

This was the first time that Tava had heard a name associated with this trade deal that Philip had mentioned before. She had never heard the name though. She decided that was irrelevant to the current situation and got her mind back on track.

"I don't think she is doing it because she wants to. She has been drinking the water we give her; she just hasn't been eating the food."

"What have you been trying to feed her?"

"Just the standard prison fare," she responded hoping they could figure something out.

"Well there's the problem. She's a carnivore and all you're feeding her is stale bread and broth. Get her some meat and she could start eating. It doesn't need to be fancy; just needs to be meat of some sort."

Tava stared at his back, finding herself wondering about this man and what type of game he was playing at. She got out of bed and dressed herself quickly, intending to find out if that was in fact the solution to their problem.

"Where are you going?" he inquired as she headed for the door. "You don't usually leave this quickly."

"I'm going to see if she will eat," she responded with a half smile. "I'll be back when I'm done."

She left the room at that, leaving Philip alone and staring at a personal data terminal he had sitting on the nightstand next to his bed.

**Razza:**

It was always dark in her cell. She did not even know how many days she had been there. There was no concept of night or day in this cell; just nothing but dark. She hadn't left this tiny room or seen any light since she was thrown in here by that brute. The only interaction she had with anyone was when they brought food to her. The food they brought her wasn't even palatable, though. At least they brought her water.

She was starving, however. Her whole body hurt from malnutrition but her appeals always fell on deaf ears. It wasn't for a lack of trying to eat. She had tried the starchy food they had given her, but even the stuff she had gulped down had done absolutely nothing for her. She only puked it up later; her body rejecting the food. It was getting so bad that her fur had started to fall out in patches. She gingerly touched an area on her right arm where the skin was bare and her fur was not growing back. She could see the dark skin and it was tender to the touch.

She spent a lot of time crying. She was surprised she even had any tears left. Her body still hurt from the beating she received before they threw her in here, so between that and the malnutrition, she was always in pain. Her cell wasn't very sanitary either. There were no facilities or any type of implement for her to relieve herself in. She ended up having to pick a corner of her cell to relieve herself, but even that wasn't enough, as it smelled awful in her cell because of it.

She was ready to start crying herself to sleep again, when she heard some noise outside her door. Suddenly, a panel slid open, indicating that she was probably going to get food again. Something smelled different this time though. It wasn't just the smell of the perfume, which smelled familiar, like something she smelled before she was put in this cell; but there was another, more subtle odor that she could smell. A blue hand reached in through the panel of her door. It held a tray with a bowl of water; but not only that, it also held meat of some sort!

She snatched the tray away from the blue hand that held it, immediately taking the meat from the tray and tearing into it with her teeth. It actually hurt to eat, but she didn't care. She needed to eat something; even if the meat tasted a little odd. A blue face looked in on her through the open panel. The blue creature said something she didn't understand, and made a disgusted face. The panel slid shut again, leaving her in the dark once again, but she hardly noticed. All her concentration, all her attention, was focused on the meat that she held in her hands. She decided to make it last as long as possible since it would probably be a while before she got another one.

**Tava:**

She closed the panel to the cell door with a disgusted look on her face. It smelled absolutely terrible in there. She made a note to see if they could possibly at least clean the place out for the prisoner and find a more sanitary way to keep her. No one should have to live in that. What haunted her more than the smell, though, were the sad, lavender eyes that looked back at her.

_I hope this Liandra person is willing to take better care of this creature,_ Tava lamented as she left the room.

**Unnamed Space Station – Terminus and Citadel Space border:**

She was working in a sterile lab, laboring over her latest acquisition. It was a raloi, something she hadn't received yet. The bird like species was new to the galaxy, just starting to explore the galaxy around them before the Reapers came. They had retreated back to their planet and did their best to make it look like they weren't a space faring species. It seemed to work since the Reapers didn't touch them, or perhaps they never reached them.

This specimen stared back at her with dead, bird-like eyes. Its stout, curved beak gaped open in a silent scream. About 15 minutes ago that scream had not been quite so silent. She experimented on her subjects before they died. She liked to see what made them tick. When it came to the common species of the galaxy, she looked for individuals with genetic anomalies. As for those not as common, such as the raloi here, genetic abnormalities were not as important to her.

Now that the specimen was dead, she was performing the second part of her hobby. It was an art that she had learned from a human a few decades back called taxidermy. She had a trophy room where she kept all her past subjects. It was a bit of silly nostalgia on her part and it would probably get her in trouble someday, but for now she enjoyed doing it; and her trophy room was an excellent place for her to go and clear her head as well.

An hour later she was done with the raloi, and wheeled it out of the lab into the trophy room. There were two guards posted inside of the trophy room. She paid a lot to have guards who turned a blind eye, or were of a favorable disposition toward her work. So far she had been lucky, with most of her guards being batarians, who seemed to be less squeamish with what she did. These two were more favorable than others, though. They liked to watch when she put a new trophy up.

There was a krogan once, but when he saw what she did, he became less than agreeable. Now he was one of her trophies in the room. He didn't have any genetic abnormalities but it seemed like such a waste not to since he was there already.

She entered her trophy room and took a deep breath. This was her favorite room on the small space station that she called home. She looked around, taking note of her trophies as she looked at each one. It was a routine she went through every time she entered the room. Her first specimen was an asari. She was an abnormality amongst her kind because she was born non-biotic, which was rare for asari. Next to the asari was a male quarian that was biotic. Another rarity. She chose to leave the helmet off of the quarian; there was no point if it was dead.

On the opposite end of the room was a yahg. She was proud of that one. That had been a hard specimen to get and it had to remain sedated the entire time she worked on it. She had positioned the yahg to look like it was ready to attack anyone standing in front of it. Continuing to look around, she saw the krogan that had attacked her, again posed in an aggressive stance and holding a shotgun.

Next to the Krogan was a human that had been considered a savant on Earth. Apparently he had been extremely good at a game the humans called chess. She had played it before and thought herself quite good as well, until she played him. Shortly after she had been soundly defeated several times by the human, he was on her lab table, head cut open and brain hooked up to machines to find out how his brain worked. Now, he was posed in a pensive posture in front of a chess board, red hair parted down the middle and freckles looking as life-like as they had when he was still alive.

There was a female salarian that had lived to be 70. She died a lot more quickly once she had gotten her hands on her. She even had a hanar, volus, and elcor, all of whom had some weird anomaly about them. The final trophy of the room was a male turian. The turian was special because it had a rare condition that turned its carapace gold. She decided to set the raloi next to the turian.

When she was done, she took a seat at a nearby table and took in the scene. She was imagining where she would put some of the specimens that were coming in. An acquaintance of hers had gotten his hands on some of the Reaper troops left over from the war. They were dead of course, but no less fascinating. She was in the middle of her reverie when she was interrupted by one of her guards.

"Liandra," a gruff, raspy voice beckoned to her from her omni-tool.

"What is it Branak?" an irritated Liandra responded to the batarian. "I was in the middle of relaxing. It better be good."

"You have an incoming communication from Philip Renly."

She perked up at the mention of the name. He was one of her favorite smugglers and she hadn't heard from him in a few years. He tended to bring interesting things for her to play with.

"Put him through, Branak," she commanded the batarian with a smile.

There were other reasons that he was one of her favorites. He was one of the few people of the galaxy that she allowed to get close to her, intimately. She shivered as she imagined his fingers running along the crevices between her scalp crests. Goosebumps formed on her purple skin at the thought. The vid-screen she had brought up on her table toned, indicating that the communication had been forwarded to her. Philip's face spread across her screen, a mischievous grin showing on his tired looking face.

"Oh Philip, you look tired. I think you need to make a stop here so you can relax," she sensually purred to him as she ran one of her fingers between her scalp crests.

"That is precisely why I'm calling. I'll be there in a couple of weeks, with a surprise."

She gasped a little when he mentioned a surprise for her.

"What is it?" she inquired somewhat excitedly, trying to keep her composure.

"If I told you now it wouldn't be a surprise would it," he stated with that mischievous grin getting wider.

"Ohhh, I hate surprises," she moaned sticking out her lower lip at him. "You can't give me a little bit of a hint?"

"I'll say this much," he started to hint at as she sat on the edge of her seat. "I know how much you like pre-mass effect species."

She slumped back in her chair, staring at the yahg across the room from her with a disappointed look forming on her face.

"I already have a yahg, Philip, but I guess if you're bringing me another I'll make room for it."

"Oh, this is no yahg. This is something very, _new_," he grinned as he watched her face brighten again.

"A new species? Oh Philip, I'm going to make sure you enjoy your visit here, _thoroughly_," she purred to him again while she bit her lower lip in anticipation.

**Afterlife's Favor:**

**Philip:**

He grinned at the purple visage that looked back at him through the vid-com. She promised him many things once he got there, if his present turned out to be everything he promised her. He admired the sharp features of her dark freckled, purple face before he ended the call. He was definitely looking forward to this visit.

He thought for a minute about what it was that attracted him to the asari as he looked over his shoulder to the naked, blue body lying in the bed behind him. Her back was to him and he admired the curves of her body.

_I suppose it started with Liandra_, he thought as he deactivated his data station and placed it back on the nightstand.

Tava had just gotten back shortly before he made the call. She had taken his suggestion in mind and tried to feed the creature some meat, and according to her reports it worked. This was good; if the creature was still alive when he got there all the better.

He patted the blue asari on the ass as he got up from the bed. He wasn't tired anymore. Something about the anticipation of seeing his lover in a couple of weeks, and the things she would do to him in return for the surprise he was bringing her.

He needed to be careful though. Undoubtedly, she would ask him questions about his new ship. He had lied to her all those years ago about his Captain, saying that Trygg was fully in the loop on her little hobby, and helped him acquire some of the things he had brought to her. That part wasn't a lie of course. Trygg had in fact helped him get some of the tools he had brought to Liandra. He just had no idea what she used them for.

This is the first time he had brought an actual creature to her though. That would have been impossible while he worked for Trygg. She probably wouldn't have trusted him if she knew the real Trygg. She also, probably wouldn't trust him now if he told her the truth. He decided it was best to keep the lie going when she asked about his new ship.

**Tava:**

She was still awake and heard the entire conversation between Philip and Liandra. Chills went up and down her spine at the mention of a trophy room and experiments. Suddenly, Philip seemed a little colder than she had originally thought. She had to keep herself from recoiling as she felt his hand on her bottom. She was no angel, but the things she heard between those two went too far, even for her. And that poor creature; she had to do something. She didn't know what yet, but to be experimented on and then stuffed and displayed as a trophy? She couldn't let that happen. Until she figured something out, though, she had to play it as business as usual.


	10. Strength of Spirit

**Strength of Spirit**

**Black Widow – In transit to Palaven:**

Lyrel made a couple of adjustments to their course on her omni-tool as she made her way to the ship's armory. When she entered the armory, all eyes turned her way. Kevin, Vala, Gurz and Lt. Romanova were all there, most of them inspecting their lockers.

Vala was looking at two weapons that she had never seen before. One was a white, sleek looking pistol and the other was a medium sized weapon with what looked like teeth.

_Those must be the quarian weapons she mentioned._

Gurz held a gigantic Claymore shotgun, and a very large, red pistol lay upon the workbench behind him.

"What happened to your Raider?" She inquired of the krogan.

"I still have it; I just have different plans for it."

Lyrel nodded in understanding while she opened her own locker that was situated next to Vala.

"So what are those exactly?" she inquired, pointing at the strange weapons that Vala procured.

"An Arc Pistol and a Reegar Carbine," she responded. "They're electrical weapons made to be used against geth. I helped design them under Admiral Xen."

"Geth are all gone," the Lt. pointed out from the other side of the lockers. "What good are those weapons?"

"They were made to use against Geth. That doesn't mean they are useless against organics. The Reegar puts out enough electricity to give even a krogan pause."

The Lt. scoffed but was quickly reproved by Gurz.

"Don't underestimate that weapon Alliance. I saw just one of those turn a group of Cannibals into ash."

There was no response coming from the Lt. so Lyrel went back to chatting with Vala.

"I like this program you made. It's giving me a lot more freedom from the helm."

"With such a small crew for this ship, I figured that was the best thing to do." Vala's attention was drawn to something behind Lyrel, who looked to see Kevin leaning against the wall across from his locker.

"What's that human phrase? Penny for your thoughts?" she asked while approaching him.

Instead of responding, he briefly looked at her and smirked.

"Well that was telling. You nervous too?"

"Maybe a little. Mostly, my weapons locker is very boring."

Lyrel shook her head. "If you lowered your expectations a little, perhaps you'd have some weapons you like. But no: you wanted a Black Widow."

Before he could respond Vala walked up and leaned against him. She reached back to grip his neck as he rested his hands on her waist.

"Spirits! If I knew there would be this much PDA between you two I would've never said anything!"

Vala playfully shoved Lyrel in response to her jest.

"Actually, I have something that may just cheer you up Kevin."

She sauntered back to her locker, putting a little extra sway in her hips, and pulled out a small weapons case. Gurz, likewise, pulled a much larger weapons case from a nearby shelf and they both placed the cases on the workbench next to Kevin. She stepped back and looked at him.

"These are for you."

Lyrel noted that the cases looked highly specialized but still from the Alliance; a notion strengthened by a gasp. Everyone looked toward the source, Lt. Romanova.

"How on earth did you acquire those?"

"She single-handedly ambushed an Alliance cargo vessel carrying these weapons, and rained electric death upon them for the glory of Rannoch!" Gurz regaled them.

Lyrel wasn't sure what was funnier, Gurz's ridiculous story, or the look on the Lt's gaping face.

"Ugh! Gurz: you and your stories." Lyrel faked exasperation. "Kevin! Are you going to open your gifts or should I? I wish to see what vexed the Lt. so."

He stared at the weapons cases on the table before him. They were black and devoid of markings. He chose the smaller case first. It opened with a click. Inside there was a pistol with a vaguely familiar form factor.

"M-11: this is new." He picked up a long cylinder that attached to the barrel of the pistol. "And suppressed: I like it. This will come in very handy."

"Wait till you open the big one." He felt a delicate hand placed on his back as Vala stood next to him.

Before he could do anything Lyrel grabbed the pistol out of his hand.

"Why didn't you tell us about these Romanova?"

"Those are made for spec-ops. They're not exactly available. I want to know how the quarian really got it."

"Bah! Suppressors are for pansies anyway. Get a real man's weapon." Gurz picked up the large, red pistol from his workbench. "Like my Executioner here."

"I prefer a gun I can pick up." Kevin took the pistol back from Lyrel and turned it over in his hands.

"It has a good weight to it. I look forward to trying it out later. Thank you Vala." He smiled at her and handed the weapon over.

The large case was next. He ran his hands over it, feeling the smooth aluminum under his fingers.

"Oh would you just open it already?" Lyrel impatiently urged him. "We'll get to the relay soon and I want to see this thing."

He opened the case, smiling, the smile growing wider with its contents revealed.

"Vala, you are by far the best girlfriend I've ever had."

He heard her giggle behind him.

"I take it that means you like it?"

He reverently lifted the large, black tube out of its case. He found the hidden button on the rear of the weapon that deployed it. A pistol grip, large scope, and the barrel all deployed with a mechanical whirr and click.

"Now that's more like it," Gurz chimed in.

He heard a tone as he looked through the scope of the massive rifle.

"That's our cue ladies and gentlemen. We're inbound to the relay," Lyrel announced.

Kevin quickly stowed the rifle in his locker, noting that Vala had already cleared a space for it. He closed the locker and headed for the bridge. The galaxy map was already waiting for him when he got there, no doubt Lyrel's doing. He stepped up to the map and programmed the signal that was to be sent to the relay, indicating which system it would send them to.

He felt nervous. Brand new ship and newly repaired relay. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

_At least Black Widow_ _wasn't the first ship to go through the relay_.

He took a seat at the weapons console after plotting their course. After the helm it was the best seat to watch their approach to the relay. A blue tendril of energy reached out toward them from it and enveloped their ship in an aura of blue. He felt a surge as the ship was launched toward the next relay in its path.

**Palaven:**

Gurz watched the black shuttle head back to the _Black Widow_. They let him come down here while they did their drop system test. He had expected to be alone, or maybe a few turians milling about, but as it turned out there was a dedication of sorts happening. A large crowd of turians and quarians were gathered around a podium and behind the podium was a statue. He lost interest in the crowd because as he moved closer he could make out the statue. It was a depiction of several quarians in battle.

"Hey! Stop right there krogan!"

He was so fixated on the statue he hadn't noticed the three armed turians that moved to intercept him.

"You're awfully armed for a statue dedication," one of the turians pointed out.

"This is the armor and weapon I used the night I fought my way to them." He pointed at the statue.

The turians moved to remove him but they were interrupted by a turian standing at the podium.

"Wait! Did you say you were here?"

"Yes."

"Let him through."

"Yes General!"

The turians parted and he made his way to the front of the crowd.

"Is there anything you would like to say?"

Gurz looked around himself before nodding. He stepped behind the podium, the general giving way so that he may speak. He removed his helmet, placing it on the ground, and looked at the crowd assembled before him. He was surprised to see Shepard there along with Tali'Zorah. Even more surprising was the _Black Widow _shuttle that had landed. Vala, Penn, and Kara made their way to the crowd. Kara was holding little Niri in her bubble.

_Good. I'm glad you all are here._

"_My name is Jorgal Gurz. I was here the night these quarians died in glorious battle against the enemy. I was defending the wall of one of the turian FOBs while my ship, the Quasimodo, delivered supplies from the quarian flotilla. I was fighting alongside some turians when we got a call for reinforcements. It was these quarians that the statue is dedicated to. They were protecting a comm tower but were being overrun. I heard a turian offer a medivac, but the only reply they got was that it was too late for them; that their suits had holes in them and that they were fighting off multiple infections."_

Gurz gripped the podium. He was not used to speaking in front of so many people.

"_Now, I was your typical krogan. The first thing I thought when they said they were dying from infection was 'weak'." I was also young. Only 200 years old and never seen a major war before this. So, I was not ready for what I saw. The turians around me motioned to follow them, and we headed to reinforce the quarians. I expected to find a bunch of dead quarians being ravaged by reaper forces. Instead, as we reached the top of a ridge, I witnessed the most beautiful thing a krogan can witness. Reaper bodies littered the ground between us and the quarian squad Any Reapers left standing were quickly cut down by the withering fire of the quarian warriors."_

Gurz paused, letting the gathered crowd absorb his story. He may not speak in front of large groups often, but he loved telling stories and that helped release the tension he felt earlier.

"_When we finally reached them, only needing to kill a couple of cannibals in our way, the quarians were no longer standing. In fact, only one was still breathing. As the turians took up positions around the comm relay, that quarian beckoned me over with a grunt."_

He pointed to the figure at the very front of the statue.

"_He was the leader of the group. A spent rocket launcher was on the ground next to him, and he gripped a Reegar Carbine in his hands. When I knelt down he grabbed my arm in a death grip. 'Give those bosh'tets hell,' he implored before he passed on to his ancestors."_

Gurz looked over the crowd again. The crowd had grown significantly since he started the story. Looking to the front of the crowd, he saw that his crewmates made their way to the front and stood next to Shepard. Tali was gripping Shepard's hand tightly.

"_When the euphoria of the moment wore off I became confused. Watching those quarians in their last stand reminded me of krogan blood rage, but quarians don't have that. Later that night, as we delivered the honored dead back to the flotilla, I asked my XO what it was that kept them fighting, despite their injuries, despite infection, and despite the weakness I assumed they had. She took a moment, but when she finally answered, she said, 'There is a strength that runs deeper than flesh and bone, deeper than even a krogan's blood rage. It's a strength of will, or of spirit as some might say. It's a strength that allows someone to fight beyond the failing of their bodies.'"_

He took a step back from the podium and picked up his helmet. He faced the statue and peered into his helmet at the names scratched within.

"I scratched your names into my helmet that night, to always remind me what strength of spirit looks like," he proclaimed for all to hear. "Tanno'Var, Kenn'Orzh, Lia'Fennas, Zea'Adas, Ket'Seya, and Kal'Reegar."

Gurz put his helmet on and knelt before the statue. He pulled the shotgun from his back, the Raider that he used that fateful day, and laid it at the feet of the statue. When he stood back up, he saluted the statue.

"Keelah se'lai, heroes of Palaven." The crowd behind him echoed "Keelah se'lai."

He dropped his salute; the power of the moment lifted his spirits higher than they had been in a long time.

"Thank you General."

The general nodded back and he made his way to the black shuttle his crewmates had taken here. Before he got there, he was intercepted by Tali'Zorah.

"Thank you! Kal'Reegar was my friend! Thank you for this!" Her voice was filled with emotion and her hands gripped his arm tightly. "And thank you for being there, so he didn't die alone."

He placed a massive hand upon her shoulders and nodded.

"You're welcome, little quarian."

He climbed into the shuttle, joined shortly by his crewmates. They were silent, but they all stared at him, probably unsure what to say. When he pulled his helmet off, Vala asked if she could see it. He handed the helmet to her and watched as she peered inside.

He looked at Niri in her bubble next. She giggled and bounced, a three fingered hand pressed against the wall of her bubble. Kara held the bubble protectively, still staring at him. She glanced at his helmet in Vala's lap momentarily, and then to her daughter. Slowly, she outstretched her arms, offering to let him hold the child. He gently accepted the child from her, placing the bubble on his lap. The child smiled at him, even as the shuttle surged forward to return them to the _Black Widow_.

"A brave hatchling indeed."

**Black Widow – Five days later:**

Kevin stared out the window as they approached the mysterious planet. He didn't like this at all. When they gave him the coordinates to the planet, the galaxy map didn't even show a star system at their destination.

"Five minutes to visual, Captain."

He smiled at Lyrel's use of his title. She always turned professional at moments like this and it brought back fond memories.

He looked behind him at Vala and Gurz.

"Looks like the moment of truth, literally. Someone went through a lot of trouble to make this star system disappear from a galactic database."

Gurz grunted in response and Vala nervously wrung her hands as they waited. A few moments later the planet came in to view.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed, gripping the back of Lyrel's chair.

"I like a good fight as much as the next krogan but even this seems like suicide. Good thing Urdnot Grunt is insane," Gurz proclaimed.

Both Lyrel and Vala looked at them confused.

Kevin sighed and gave a grandiose gesture toward the planet through the window.

"Ladies, welcome to Parnack."


	11. Love and Pain

**Love and Pain **

**Parnack** **- Salarian STG Agent:**

He stared at the yahg as it read over the terms that had been presented to it. He still wasn't sure if what the Salarian Union was doing was a good idea, but the humans and turians hadn't left them much choice.

_They should have left the Genophage alone then I wouldn't be down here with these animals._

His thought was accentuated by crunching noises from nearby. Some of the yahg diplomat's entourage decided the bodies of the Council diplomats he killed looked tasty. One of them was in the ruined ship with the body of a headless asari in its hands. The other two were outside the ship fighting over the corpse of a human. He'd protest such behavior, but he really wasn't in the position to do so. He felt something hit his chest, drawing his attention away from the grotesquery to the data pad that now lay on the ground.

"Your terms are acceptable, prey."

The yahg emphasized the "prey", making him flinch.

"Very good. We'll be back to fulfill our end of the deal." He looked at the other yahg, who were still brutalizing the corpses. "My rescue should be coming soon, but in order to sell this 'accident' the corpses should be left behind."

The yahg growled at him in response.

"By your pleasure of course," he said, bowing.

That is another thing he hated about the place. He had to act like he was beneath them. The last time the council sent people there, they acted like peers and were killed because of it.

"We will leave the hard, spiked creatures behind. They are inedible."

"Fine. That should be enough for them."

The yahg ignored him, instead concentrating on something in the sky behind him. He looked to see a small meteor shower streak across the sky. He possibly missed some, but he counted twenty in all. There was also something uniform about the shower.

"It's time for me to go." He nodded toward the other yahg with them. "They'll need to make the chase look good so as not to arouse suspicion."

"Then you better start running. When they catch you, they will eat you." The yahg gave him a dangerous look as he made his not so subtle threat.

He was ready to protest but thought better of it. Instead he headed straight for the jungle in the direction of the meteor shower while the yahg laughed behind him.

**Gurz:**

_Those pyjack engineers just had to crash land in a jungle_.

He gently pushed a human sized frond out of his way, trying to make as little noise as possible. The underbrush was thick, making it difficult for the squad to move through the jungle. He was at the forefront of the group of twenty with two others, Grunt and Vega.

"Man! This brings me back to the time I visited Brazil," whispered Vega. "Bugs were smaller though. Thank god for heavy armor eh Tortuga?"

He was talking to Grunt but the noise made him flinch. It seemed too loud to his ears. A fly the size of his fist landed on his arm, but was unable to get through his black armor.

"You have a point human," he mumbled when he pulled the fly off and crushed it.

"Can it you two!" Major Alenko commanded from behind them. As a SPECTRE, he was put in charge of the ground mission.

There was a cracking noise from the jungle ahead, snapping the group to attention. Gurz took position behind a nearby tree and readied his Claymore. The crack had turned into something small crashing through the underbrush. He heard something larger crashing through the underbrush as well now. Make that several larger things.

"We've got incoming guys!" Kaiden whispered. "Check your targets; we don't need any unwanted casualties."

A salarian burst out of the underbrush next to Gurz, and he leveled his shotgun in its face.

"Don't shoot!" the salarian screamed.

Gurz growled in response and shoved it toward the rest of the group where it was grabbed by a turian and pulled to the ground. Silence fell over the jungle again. Whatever was chasing the salarian was no longer moving. Gurz scanned the jungle, the night vision of his helmet enhancing the light enough for him to see. He couldn't see anything, and after several intense moments, Alenko gave the all clear. The group slowly left their hiding spots in the underbrush, wary of any sudden attacks. Alenko motioned them forward but the salarian protested saying they should leave. Gurz missed the rest of the conversation, however, because he had a nagging feeling that they weren't as alone as they thought. It was almost as if there was something right behind…

He shoved the butt of his shotgun hard behind him. It connected with something with a satisfying crack and the yahg wailed, clutching its shattered knee. It tried to strike him in retaliation but he checked its swing with his shotgun and ended the confrontation with a point-blank shot, turning the yahg's head into a pulpy mess.

"I'm glad we have krogan with," Vega announced, punching him in the arm. "Nice catch!"

Several roars resounded through the jungle from nearby in response.

"Fall back to the pods!" Kaidan commanded. "Gurz and Grunt: you two watch our flanks. Vega: you have our backs."

"What? By myself?"

"You three! Watch our backs with the Lt." Kaidan pointed at three of the Blackwatch soldiers, who promptly took up positions next to Vega.

Gurz took the right flank and they started heading back to the pods. He was alert. He could still hear roars coming from the jungle. They seemed to be coming from all sides. The roars were accompanied by crashing through the underbrush.

"At least we'll hear them coming this time," Garrus' voice came over the suit to suit comm system.

"I saw everything. Your senses are just too primitive, turian." Gurz could see Javik's distinctive leaf-shaped head ahead of him. He carried a weird looking rifle, probably prothean in design.

He heard something crashing through the underbrush to his right. He readied himself but when the yahg finally showed itself, it lit up in his night vision, staggered and fell at his feet.

"Sorry krogan, but I couldn't let you have all the fun," Javik called back to him.

"There will be plenty more from the sounds of it," he replied.

A bunch of automatic fire erupted behind him, including the distinctive sound of an automatic shotgun.

"Yeah! Take that cabron!"

"For someone going through the N7 program, you sure are loud during a mission Vega," Kaidan observed.

"Hey! It's not like they don't already know we're here."

There was another shotgun blast to his left and he heard a deep laugh over the comm.

"For being so big and supposedly scary, they sure do go down easy," Grunt observed.

"It's the difference that kinetic barriers and armor make. This would be turning out a lot different if they had them, "Garrus explained. "Just ask Shepard, Liara and Tali when we get back to the Normandy."

They finally reached the clearing where their pods touched down. There was an extra pod now, since Kaidan had called for one on their way back to the clearing to put the salarian in.

"You guys know the drill," Kaidan reminded them. "I'm sending the salarian up first. Gurz, Grunt, Vega and I will be the last to leave so we can provide cover for the rest."

Gurz took up position at a spot where he could see his own pod. Nothing was coming out of the jungle yet, which he thought was weird, but they were smart and probably thought they lost the advantage. He heard a familiar hum and saw the pod with the salarian shoot up into the sky. That's when all hell broke loose.

The jungle erupted with gunfire from the direction they had just come from. His shields started sparking with hits, but they weren't putting a significant drain on them. They were using powder based weapons, fortunately for his group.

"I think I'd be more worried if they came charging out of the jungle at this point!" Garrus joked.

Gurz smiled as he pulled the Executioner from his hip and started firing into the jungle. Even though he couldn't see them he figured he would either get lucky or at least scare some off with the large rounds. Vega and Grunt were nearby and likewise switched to weapons with longer ranges, a Typhoon and a Revenant respectively.

"No fair! All I have is a single shot pistol!" he grumped.

"Well then maybe you should get yourself one of these!" Vega yelled back while spraying rounds into the jungle.

With all the noise he hadn't heard the other pods launch. It wasn't until Kaidan told them that it was their turn that they turned away from the jungle. Nothing fired at them as they made their way to their pods.

"Guess we scared 'em off, eh Tortuga?"

"Big guns are good at that," Grunt responded while he climbed into his pod.

Gurz climbed into his own cramped pod. These things weren't exactly made with krogan in mind. He couldn't imagine how Grunt felt. He was only slightly bigger than Gurz but in these pods that had to be hell. He strapped himself in as the air lock closed. There was a hissing noise which indicated that the pod had sealed itself, ready for the trip into the vacuum of space. He quickly hit the panel, indicating he was ready, and he felt the inertia of pod as it began its trip back to the _Black Widow_.

**Black Widow – Trygg:**

He waited in the cargo hold as the pods returned to the ship. The salarian had already made it back, along with a couple of the Blackwatch turians. Shepard was already talking to the salarian and escorting him to the Alliance shuttle parked in his hold. The _Normandy_ would take the salarian and the Blackwatch agents to the citadel where they would be debriefed. Fortunately, his crew wouldn't have to go. The Alliance would debrief them when they got to the nearest comm buoy. The last pods docked and he headed to Gurz's as he stumbled out of the pod.

"Those things are too cramped for a krogan Kevin." Gurz was irritated that much was evident. "And that mess down there?" He looked at the salarian sitting in the shuttle and pulled Kevin to the side. "That was too easy. They were toying with us through most of the trip back to the pods. Some got a little too close and paid for it, but there were many more just making noise. They could have cut us off if they really wanted to stop us. But when that salarian's pod left the planet they all opened fire on us. It wasn't effective, but why wait till then?"

"He has a point Shepard." Kevin turned to Garrus' voice, who was talking to Shepard in a spot close enough for them to overhear Gurz. "And I'm sure you remember what we heard on that STG base about the yahg."

Kevin didn't want to know and it wasn't any of his business so he led Gurz to his quarters so they could talk somewhere else.

"Tell the Alliance your concerns in the debrief. It will be their problem until they decide to make it ours." He looked out Gurz's door at the scene in the hold. "Meanwhile, get out of your armor and relax. Be ready when I call you. Good job buddy." He punched the krogan's arm who slapped his back in response.

He left the quarters and looked to the volus who was busy making sure all their cargo was secure in the midst of the bustle. It was cargo they had picked up on Palaven during their stop.

"Hey Naru, how's the cargo doing?"

"It's fine… Trygg," Naru responded. "Just making sure there hasn't been any tampering with all turians around. You know how they can be when it comes to their artwork."

He smiled at Naru's observation. Turians did have a tendency to be very possessive when it came to their art. Fortunately, these turians seemed to have ignored it, other than maybe to stare at it. One did ask to buy it off of him but he had to turn the turian down. There was an asari on the edge of the Terminus systems who would trade stuff for these sorts of things. As long as she's still there, it's possible she could have something he'd want in exchange for the art.

"Keep up the good work bud." He smiled as he left the cargo deck to get ready for what would undoubtedly be a long debrief.

Several hours later Kevin sat down on his couch exhausted.

"I hate debriefs."

He was about to lie down on the couch when he heard his door hiss open.

"Who is it?"

"It's just me Kevin," Vala answered as she walked down the short stairs into his room.

"Hello Vala. You tired too after that grilling?"

"You had to do a lot more talking than I did. All I had to say was the pods worked like they were supposed to."

"That's true," he agreed with a chuckle.

He watched her walk over to the small desk by his couch. She lowered her hood and removed started to detach some of the wires and hoses at the back of her helmet.

"Vala. What are you doing?"

"I have decided that my immune system is strong enough to start not having to wear this around you. This can actually be especially good for me."

He held his breath as she removed her helmet. He had seen her face once before, by accident, but this would be the first time he would see her without her helmet. She short black hair. It was matted down, typical of helmet hair. She didn't seem to care though as she smiled at him. Second time he had seen that smile and it still stunned him.

She walked over and sat down on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and touched her nose to his.

"I have been waiting to do this for a very long time."

She looked him in the eye for a few moments, her glowing green eyes smiled back at him. He could feel one of her hands inch up the back of his head through his hair. She rubbed the point of her nose up and down the bridge of his nose. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.

"We're going to pay for this later," she whispered.

"Pay for wha…"

Her lips met his, interrupting but answering his question at the same time. She didn't settle for just a peck. He didn't care, however. Despite the dangers, this felt right.

* * *

Lyrel exited the elevator in front of Kevin's quarters. She held a bottle of turian brandy she brought along with to celebrate their first successful mission. She also held a bottle of some Irish crème that she knew he liked. She pressed the panel next to the door and announced her. All she got in response, though, was a moan.

"Kevin? Are you alright in there?"

There was another moan in response so she let herself in to make sure he was alright. She found him lying on his couch clutching his head.

"It seems you started drinking without me."

"Not so loud Lyrel," he whispered.

She went to his desk next to the couch to put down the bottles, and that's when she noticed the quarian helmet sitting on it.

"Kevin?" she started to ask but she then heard a retching sound coming from his bathroom.

She rushed to the bathroom and the door slid open to reveal Vala leaning over the toilet. The scene was starting make sense to her.

"Kevin! Vala! You two should know better!"

"I regret nothing," Vala weakly claimed from inside the bathroom.

"Are you done puking?" Lyrel asked Vala's back.

"Yes. I think so."

"Then we're going down to the infirmary. We need to get your systems flushed.

After several moments of struggling to get them into the elevator, they finally made it to the crew quarters floor where she helped them to the infirmary. There was only one other person there at the time. Gurz was in his kitchen, getting a meal ready for the crew. It smelled amazing, which was standard fare when Gurz was the cook. His eyes widened when he looked at her with her two struggling friends.

"What happened to them?" he asked. "And why isn't Vala wearing her helmet?"

"Take a guess."

His only response was to start laughing.

"I'm glad you find our misfortunes amusing Gurz," Vala said with a weak smile.

Lyrel just shook her head. "She regrets nothing," Lyrel parroted what she had said earlier. This made Gurz laugh even more.

She finally got them into the infirmary, where she helped them each into a bed next to each other. She gave each of them some pain killers and found the dextro and levo nutrient IVs that are used for treating malnutrition. She set them up and then turned to leave.

"Are we headed toward Liandra's?" Kevin asked her before she walked out the door.

"Yes. It will be a couple of days before we get there though since the closest repaired relay is Illium's."

"At least that will give us some time to get better."

She shook her head, still a little angry that they would take that risk. She smiled, though, when she looked back to them and saw Vala reach over and take his hand.

"Just be careful next time," she told them as she walked out the door.


	12. Pleasure from Pain

**Pleasure from Pain**

**Liandra's Station – 4 days later:**

_They're finally here!_

Liandra rushed down the corridor to the docking bay where Philip's ship was docked.

_A new species for me to experiment on; how exciting! _

When she got there, Philip already waited for her in front of the docking tube. A strange, egg-shaped machine was hauled out of the tube by a krogan. She could see un-decipherable writing and small round windows on the machine.

"What is that?" she asked Philip when she walked up next to him.

"It's the orbital pod that we found her in. I thought I would sweeten the deal with it."

She gasped and rushed over to the pod. Uncommon, alien technology, even if it was primitive by her standards, always excited her; almost as much as a new species would. That's when she saw the gurney hauled out of the docking tube. Strapped to the gurney was a furry creature, almost feline in nature. She was frail, obviously malnourished and injured. Several of its fingers were broken, and by the looks of her visible ribs, some of those were broken as well. Liandra glared at Philip.

"You could have taken better care of her. I'm going to have to be careful so she doesn't expire too quickly in this condition."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you dealt with her when she was healthy. It took a krogan to take her down."

Liandra looked at the creature with a new respect. Made her wish even more that it was still healthy. She pointed at one of the batarians standing guard.

"Brawg! Take her to my lab and make sure that pod is delivered to my trophy room."

"Yes, mistress," the batarian complied.

"Mistress, huh?" Philip mused. "Last time I was here they called you master."

"I pay them enough they call me whatever I want them to. There was even a time I had them call me 'lover'."

She laughed at the memory and aggressively grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. She then shoved him down the corridor toward her quarters.

"None of them have experienced what I'm about to do to you though," she promised while she slowly walked after him.

* * *

Razza was taken down a corridor by an ugly creature with four eyes. Every time she looked at it, it scowled at her. She stopped looking at it, instead focusing on the sterile, metal walls beside her. It wasn't long, though, until ugly wheeled her into a new room; one that made her immediately panic. There were many different creatures standing in the room, but they were all posed; unmoving. It reminded her of something that some of her people did back home with animals they hunted. That's when she realized what her fate would be. Both her hearts beat so fast that her chest hurt. Her panicked voice was muffled by the gag placed around her mouth.

She looked at the four-eyed creature that transported her again, wanting to plead with it, but a vicious smile stretched across its face, showing off sharp teeth. She realized she would get no sympathy from it. She was brought into another room, which was sterile again, but it made her panic even more, because of the tools that she saw on display in there. There were knives, metal bowls and trays, and machinery that she was unfamiliar with, but could imagine what they were used for.

The creature said something and viciously smiled at her again, before it left her alone in the room. When the door closed, the lights went out and she started to weep. She thought she was resigned to her fate of whatever they did with her; but to become a trophy on some alien's wall? She wasn't resigned to that. She strained against her bonds, but they wouldn't budge. Maybe if she was healthy she could get out, but she was so weak. Fur rubbed off of her wrists and ankles where the bonds held her. She closed her eyes and stopped struggling. She decided it was futile to do so. Instead, she started to pray.

* * *

Tava paced inside her quarters on _Afterlife's Favor_. She wanted to do something but knew she was as good as dead if she did. If she wasn't killed by Philip for mutiny, she would assuredly be killed by this Liandra person for fun. It just felt wrong to let such a beautiful creature be murdered in such a way.

_Who am I kidding?_

She sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands. She definitely wasn't going to throw her life away for a creature she didn't even know. Hell, she was still calling it creature. She didn't know what it was or even its name.

_Get a grip Tava. Sure she's beautiful, in an exotic sort of way, but she's hardly worth your life._

She decided she needed to take her mind off things, so she opened her extranet terminal and started going through messages that were waiting for her. She had a message from a former bondmate, Jason, who lived on Illium. Every once in a while, when she visited Illium, they would hook up. It was a great way to relax, and reading his letter now helped take her mind off things, at least until her comm terminal toned to let her know that someone was trying to get a hold of her.

"Yes, what is it?" she demanded of the salarian whose face filled her screen.

"We have an incoming ship. It doesn't show up on any existing registry we have access to."

"Have you tried contacting it?" she asked, wanting to get back to her messages.

"Negative. We were given explicit directions to talk to you or Captain Renly before we did anything like that. The captain isn't answering his comm."

_Of course he isn't, dimwit._

She was about to tell him to ignore the other ship because it was the station's problem, when she got an idea.

"Baola, hale them and transfer the call to my quarters if they answer."

"Understood," Baola affirmed.

She waited a few minutes before her comm toned again. When she answered, however, this time there was a turian and a human on the other side of the link.

"This is Captain Kevin Trygg of the _Black Widow_. What is the purpose of your hale?"

_Trygg!_

Could this really be her luck? The man that Philip hated most just showed up when he could be most useful? She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"This is XO Tava Nyxemi of _Afterlife's Favor_, and I need your help."

* * *

Liandra stretched while she got out of bed. She could hear light snoring behind her. She smirked, thinking about how easy it was to make him exhausted. She walked away from the bed, rolling her hips just slightly, hoping that he was faking sleep. She was disappointed when he didn't say anything. That was alright, though. That was just a distraction from something else she wanted to do.

She went to her closet and chose some clothes suitable for her hobby. They were black and stain resistant. They had lots of loops for holding tools, keeping them within convenient reach while she worked. She slipped the clothes on, satisfied at how fitted they were, accentuating the curves of her body. Not only were they comfortable, but she reveled in the looks she got when she wore them; looks from her guards, guests, and sometimes from her victims. That was before they knew what would happen to them of course.

She left the sleeping Philip behind and headed down the corridor to her lab. She could feel the eyes of her guards on her as she passed them. She walked extra slow just for the sheer pleasure of it. She entered her trophy room, taking in the sight of her favorite room in the whole galaxy. There was a new addition already; the orbital pod. She planned on posing the creature with her pod. The pod would have to be moved, though. Where it was wouldn't suffice. She smiled, ideas already forming in her mind before she even entered her lab.

The creature was lying on a gurney, eyes closed and mumbling something unintelligible. She could see that the creature had struggled against the metal bonds. There was red blood and fur drying on them.

She tsked. "You're not going to make it easy for me are you?"

The creature's eyes flew open upon hearing her voice. Tears were flowing from them and the creature started sobbing.

"Shhhh now. All that noise isn't going to help you," she whispered into the creature's ear.

She stepped away from the gurney to her tool wall. She pulled some of the tools down, placing them in the appropriate loops of her suit. One of the tools was a small machine that looked like a screw driver. There was a quiet hum when she turned on the eezo powered machine. She took one of the metal trays that were sitting nearby and tested the machine on it. It was an IR laser made for medical procedures. She couldn't see the beam, but the evidence of it was clear enough as she burned her initials into the bottom of the tray.

"Good. Everything is ready to go."

She looked back to the creature. It was still sobbing and was struggling against its bonds again. Suddenly, she had other ideas going through her mind. This creature was strong once, before her ill treatment; so strong that she probably could have overwhelmed her. She felt very turned on by this knowledge.

"Perhaps that is what I'll do instead: a brief moment of pleasure before you can feel no longer."

She walked seductively to the gurney.

"Yes, I think that will be much more fun."

She leaned over the gurney, coming face to face with the creature. It closed its eyes and turned its face away, no doubt in reaction to her now black eyes.

"Come now," she derided the creature. "Who knows; perhaps you will even have a child out of this. Of course, you'd never meet her."

She tried to force its eyes open but it struggled. She finally locked its head in place with a couple of plates built into the gurney and was forcing its eyelids open, just barely seeing the lavender color of its eyes, when the comm unit in the room toned. She tried to ignore it, but after several tones her fingers were getting tired, and she gave up trying to open its eyes. Instead she answered the insistent comm unit.

"This better be good. You know how much I hate being disturbed in here."

"Sorry, mistress," the batarian apologized. "We have another ship incoming, asking permission to dock."

"What?" She sobered at the thought of more guests.

_Why now?_

"Did they give you a name?"

"Yeah. _Black Widow_. The captain's name is Kevin Trygg," the batarian answered.

She gasped and smiled.

"Oh splendid! Give them permission immediately."

"Understood, mistress."

The screen went blank and she looked at the creature.

"We'll have to finish this later I guess. Perhaps you'll be a little more amiable when I come back."

She quickly replaced all the tools to their spots on the wall. It would be unseemly to greet someone with scalpels strapped to her body.

_This is certainly turning out to be an exciting day,_ she thought as she walked out of the room.

**Black Widow:**

Vala made her way to the bridge next to Gurz. They were summoned by Kevin, and it sounded urgent. When she arrived, Kevin was talking to a batarian over their comm. The conversation ended shortly after she got there and Kevin turned to them; his face looked grim.

"Gather everyone in the armory. We dock in 10." He rushed past them and headed to the elevator.

"What's going on?" she asked Lyrel, who remained at the helm.

"You'll find out soon enough. Inform the others and get to the armory," she answered.

She and Gurz headed to the armory while sending messages to the other crew members.

"Looks like today is going to be fun day," Gurz mused.

Vala shook her head in response as they entered the armory to prepare for whatever Kevin had in store for them.


	13. The Nightmare is Over

**The Nightmare is Over**

**Liandra's Station – Black Widow:**

Kevin entered the armory shortly after they docked with the station. Liandra most likely waited for them so he needed to make this brief.

"Is everyone here?" he asked, looking around the room to take a head count.

"We're all present, Captain," Lyrel informed him.

"Good." He looked at the two engineers who were fidgeting in obvious nervousness. "You two can relax, at least a little. You'll be staying on the ship to keep the engines running. Make it look like you are doing engine tests. We'll likely be coming in hot and need to leave the moment we're back on the ship."

The two quarians nodded and made their way back to the engineering deck.

"Naru, stay in the cargo hold, ready to accept a video call in case our host needs proof of the statue. In the event that it is finished, or not needed, you will join Lt. Romanova back up here to guard the air lock."

"Right!" the volus acknowledged.

"With all due respect, Captain, I should be going with you," Romanova voiced from her locker as she readied her Avenger.

"You'll be pegged for Alliance the moment you step onto the station, and we can't afford that," he informed her, and gave her a look that brooked no argument.

She sighed and left the room, leaving him with the three who were going with him.

"Are you sure I should be going with? I don't have much combat experience." Vala fidgeted with her pistol when he leveled his gaze at her.

"You've gotten some practice, but more importantly, you have toys that may come in handy in there. Just remember to play along, no matter what you see or hear, and follow my lead."

He heard her breathe deeply as he opened his own locker and took the M-11 out. He chose to leave the silencer behind, since it could arouse suspicion.

"You guys ready?"

They all nodded, placing their pistols on their hips. He sent Vala and Gurz a message he had pre-written to their omni-tools so they could catch up on what's going on. He didn't want to tip off Liandra on their true intentions by talking about it out loud.

She waited for what felt like a lifetime before four figures finally walked down the docking tube toward her. She smiled when she saw Kevin's telltale swagger.

"Kevin! It's been too long since you graced my humble station."

"Too true, Liandra. How've ya been?" he replied with that lop-sided grin she always looked forward to seeing.

"Well, as you can see, I'm still here, so pretty well under the circumstances."

The group was stopped by her guards as they stepped off the ramp to be searched.

"Let them through! I don't think they came all this way to cause trouble."

She gave them a cursory glance, making sure they followed her rule of pistols only for her guests. She noticed the pistol that the quarian carried, who she realized was also a new addition since she last saw him.

"What kind of pistol is that, Miss…?" she asked the quarian.

"Vala'Sun," the quarian politely replied. "It is an arc pistol. It was created by my people for our war with the geth."

"Oh! Can I see it?"

The quarian looked at Kevin, who nodded his approval, and handed the weapon to her grip first.

"How elegant," she complimented the quarian as she looked over the weapon. "Do you have anymore?"

"No, but I can always make another."

"Does that mean I can keep this one?" Liandra asked, implying that's what she'd prefer.

"Um… sure," Vala agreed.

"Splendid! I'm sure I have something around here I can give you."

"Thanks."

She strapped her new toy to the side of her leg and addressed Kevin again.

"I find it timely of you to show up now. It's like you and Philip planned it."

"Philip's here?" Kevin asked with interest.

"Oh yes, the other docked ship is his." She pointed toward the aft of the station, indicating the direction to this ship. "He's asleep right now but I'm sure he'd be glad to be woken up to see you."

"No! It's ok. Knowing what you two do with your time together, I'm sure he's exhausted." Kevin winked at her.

"How do you know that?" She was more than a little perturbed, thinking that Philip talked too much.

"Oh, Philip told me." Kevin paused a moment before he continued. "Of course it was pretty obvious when he came back to the ship looking like he just ran a marathon."

"Ah. What else has he told you about?" She held her breath, hoping he wouldn't say anything that's supposed to be a secret.

"He told me a lot, actually. Including if I brought you anything a bit more… sentient and rare, you would trade some very nice stuff for it."

The admission hit her like a punch in the gut. She kept her composure, though, and managed to keep down the bile that started to creep up her throat.

_Damn you Philip! You promised to keep that in confidence!_

She calmed herself by thinking about the possibilities of having another smuggler to feed her appetites. Philip obviously trusted Trygg enough to tell him that, so she could to.

"Did you have anything in mind, Kevin?" she asked, genuinely interested in what he thought he could offer.

"Well, not sure if you've heard yet, but the rachni are back, and I may know where to get one."

That stunned her. She couldn't speak in what felt like forever; Kevin's grin grew wider with every silent moment.

"You… you can get me a rachni? A real, living rachni?" she asked.

"Yeah, apparently that Commander Shepard guy found a living queen somewhere and got them to help fight the reapers. Some of them stuck around to help rebuild. They stay pretty secluded for obvious reasons though."

She was floored, literally, by the news. Kevin helped her back to her feet when she got her breathing back under control.

"Kevin, you get me a rachni and I'll give you _whatever_ you want," she promised him, placing a hand on his chest.

She made note of the way the quarian stiffened when she flirted with him, and then remembered how he looked at Vala when she asked for the gun.

_What does she have that I don't?_

She decided to let it go and grabbed his arm, dragging him down the corridor to their right to take him to her trophy room. It wasn't often she got to show off her work. When they got to the door, she turned to his companions but addressed him.

"They have to stay out here," she commanded, making it clear there would be no negotiation.

He talked to his companions while she sent a quick message to Philip over her omni-tool, hoping he could come and join them. She added in a little bit about telling other people about her hobby. Once Kevin was ready, she escorted him in.

He awoke to the sound of a tone from his omni-tool. It was telling him that he had an urgent message waiting for him.

_How long have I been asleep?_

He opened his omni-tool, checking the time before anything else.

_Only three hours? This better be good._

He opened the message application to find he had several messages waiting for him. Most were from his ship, but the latest one from Liandra was marked urgent. He opened it only to become confused.

_What do you mean I told my captain about that? I am the capta…_

He didn't finish typing that thought because he suddenly realized what she was talking about.

_I didn't tell anyone! Don't trust him!_

He flew out of bed and threw on his clothes in a hurry. As he approached the door he tried to get a hold of his ship, but no one was answering.

Tava stepped over the dead bodies of the bridge crew. It turned out, killing everyone on the bridge, was easier than she expected. All their faces were contorted from the sudden lack of breathable air. She promised Captain Trygg that _Afterlife's Favor_ wouldn't be a problem, and she delivered on her promise. The comm terminal toned, probably Philip wondering what was going on. She decided to answer it.

"Tava! Get everyone onto the stati…on." His face paled. "What happened?"

"Consider this my resignation, Philip."

She left the terminal on and walked away; leaving him to see the carnage she left behind. She smiled when she entered the airlock. She could still hear him raging before the doors closed.

He ran down the corridor, Liandra completely forgotten. The only thing on his mind, the only thing that mattered, was to get that bitch. No doubt her treachery and the arrival of Trygg were connected. First, he would deal with her, and then he would find that bastard and end him as well. Every problem in his life seemed to always lead back to him.

He barreled through two batarians, almost knocking them over, but he didn't care. His rage focused him. He heard footsteps running behind him, be he didn't care. It was only moments before he made it to his ship's docking area. He heard footsteps to his left, and saw Tava start running away from him. He gave chase, dodging biotic attacks that she threw at him. She was fast, but he was still catching up to her. They were nearly to the other docking bay when he finally caught and tackled her.

"You really think you could get away with it?" he growled when he pinned her to the floor.

He grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back, not wanting to get hit by a biotic blast. He was ready to pull his knife and end it, when he was viciously pulled off of her by the two batarians he barreled through.

"Get off me you four-eyed fucks!"

One of them punched him, hard, and broke his nose. He could feel the hot blood run down his face, but he ignored it, eyes focused instead on the asari who was walking away, smiling at him over her shoulder.

"I'll get you bitch!"

Before he could say anything else, everything went black when the butt of a rifle was brought down on his head.

Kevin did his best to keep his composure. He thought he prepared himself, but hearing that it existed, and actually seeing it, turned out to be two different experiences. He became distracted, looking at all the bodies on display. So distracted, the tone from Liandra's omni-tool . He saw the krogan at the far end of the room and an idea came to mind to help him sell his story.

"You know, Liandra, the rachni would go great next to that krogan."

"I'm sure it would, Kevin, if you actually planned on bringing one of course."

He turned slowly to see Vala's pistol pointed at him.

"I guess it's a good thing I took your _lover's_ weapon, otherwise I'd be at a slight disadvantage."

He flinched slightly at the venom in her voice when she said "lover".

"What? You don't think I noticed her reaction when I flirted with you, or the fact that you didn't even attempt to flirt back? That's so unlike you. Are you settling down on me?"

"You know I was never that into you, Liandra. No matter how much you tried, you could never get me into your bed. So you settled for Philip instead."

"As it turns out, that was the right choice. He's a lot more sympathetic to my needs."

He didn't say anything, instead thinking about how to get himself out of the predicament.

"Why are you here anyway?" Liandra asked. "Why would you lie to get yourself in here?"

"Maybe I just needed to see it for myself. To see how depraved you really were."

"Bullshit! Someone told you about this, and for a reason."

Her eyes went wide as if she just realized something. She looked over her shoulder to a door at the corner of the room.

"You know!" she accused him.

"Know what?" he asked, trying his best to sound clueless.

"Don't play dumb with me, Kevin. That's the only explanation. Someone from Philip's ship told you she was here."

There was no point in trying to continue the ruse, so he leaned against a nearby table and glared at her.

"So now what?" he asked her.

"Now, I finish with her, and then you and your friends join her. How fitting."

"I see. There's only one problem with that," he said smirking.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

_Vala, don't fail me now!_

He lunged at her, knowing he wouldn't make it to her before she fired the weapon. When she squeezed the trigger, however, the weapon overloaded, sending a debilitating shock through her system. She fell to the floor and laid there twitching as he approached her. She was still breathing, but unconscious. He spoke to her anyway.

"Did you really think my _lover_ would have given you a functioning weapon, knowing what you are?"

He heard a struggle outside of the entrance. He hurried to the door and opened it to find two batarian guards on the ground, and Lyrel and Gurz pulling knives from under their chins. He expected Vala to be shocked, but instead she was placing some sort of discs on the wall and floor.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Just a little something special I made," she explained. "Consider them back-up."

She walked through the door, past him, followed by Lyrel and Gurz, but all three of them stopped, staring at all the posed bodies.

"Keelah! I know that quarian! He was biotic!"

"We don't have time for sightseeing folks," Kevin said, getting their attention. "Vala, that pod over there is the one we're looking for. It may have some hard drives so see if you can download information from them. Then plant those other _toys_ I asked you to bring."

"Totally on it," she said. She playfully bumped him when she walked toward the pod.

He gave her waist a light squeeze and then addressed the other two.

"Lyrel, Gurz, you two cover the door."

They both took up positions at the door with military-like precision.

"Now for the interesting part," he whispered as he headed to the lab door.

He used his omni-tool to hack the door. When the door opened he gasped at the sight within. A black, furry being, with patches of missing fur and a malnourished body, lay upon the gurney inside. She was gagged and stared back at him with big, blood-shot, lavender eyes. When he approached the gurney, she struggled and made weak, panicked noises through the gag.

"Shhh. I don't know if you can understand me but I'm here to help."

He gently stroked the velvety fur on top of her head, and found the release for the gag when he reached behind it. He removed it and she stopped struggling. instead staring at him as he searched the gurney for the release of the arm and ankle holds. When he finally found it, he overloaded the electric motor with his omni-tool. He heard the bonds spring open with a click. She was moving her too thin arms when he looked at her again. She looked so frail. She was also naked, at least as naked as something covered in fur could be.

"Hold on."

He gave the room a cursory glance and saw a lab coat hanging on a hook near the entrance. He grabbed the lab coat and helped her sit up so he could drape it around her. He looked into her eyes as he wrapped the coat around her. She was still staring at him. He could tell she was still scared, but she seemed to have calmed down at least. He applied some medi-gel to her wrists and ankles, where she was bleeding, and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

_She's so light. Poor thing._

He rushed out of the room, almost bumping into Vala. She gasped when she saw them and didn't hear him the first time he addressed her.

"Vala!" he yelled, trying to get her attention.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, I just…" She reached toward the creature in his arms but she recoiled from Vala.

"Right now, it's best to leave her alone. Did you get anything in the pod?" he asked while walking toward the entrance, where Lyrel and Gurz were waiting for them.

"Yes, I got everything I could find and planted the bombs."

"Wait… all of them?" he asked. He had hoped to use some of them for their escape.

"We can use my other gadgets for the escape, this room needs to go."

"Works for me. Let's get the hell out of here," Lyrel insisted as they approached the door.

"Vala, unless your gun is working again, take mine. I won't be able to use it while carrying her anyway," he told her while they waited for Lyrel and Gurz to clear the corridor.

He felt his sidearm pulled from its holster before he rushed out the door. Lyrel and Gurz had taken point and were already heading down the corridor toward their ship. Vala took up the rear, covering his back. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her placing a few more of those discs as they rounded the corner of an intersection.

_Where are all the guards_, he thought.

He figured they would have seen at least one or two on their way back to the ship. There was a _fwoosh_ sound somewhere behind them, and he heard a bunch of screaming coming from the corridor that met the trophy room.

"Toys?" he asked Vala.

"They make flamethrower drones, and there were three of them by that door," she explained.

He smiled. "I love you Vala."

There was some yelling ahead as Lyrel and Gurz approached another intersection. She ducked right as she entered the intersection, sending a batarian flying over her who was caught and smashed into the floor by Gurz. It was always fun to watch them work together.

He could see the viewing windows of the perimeter corridor, so they were almost to their ship. Before they got there, three more batarians ran up to block their path. They didn't last long though when a biotic wave flowed through the corridor, sweeping them along with it. An asari appeared where the batarians were before. It was the same asari that told him about the situation here.

"Tava! What are you doing?" he asked the asari.

"I'm coming with you," she explained.

"Like hell you are!"

The creature in his arms struggled and whined as he walked past the asari.

"There's another answer for you," he growled at her.

She followed after him, trying to argue her case.

"Look! I took care of _Afterlife's Favor_ for you! I told you she was here! I don't have to stay with you, but I can't stay here either. They'll kill me!"

"Fine! But you'll be locked in a room and dropped off at the first planet or station we stop at. You _will_ stay away from her."

He looked at the struggling creature in his arms who was trying to bury her head as far into the lab coat as she could.

"Deal," Tava agreed.

They finally arrived at their ship without further incident. Gurz waited for them since Lyrel already went inside to the helm. He gestured toward Tava.

"She's coming with. Lock her in one of the empty quarters," Kevin explained.

"Understood." Gurz acknowledged.

He felt the ship move once they were all in. That's what he liked about Lyrel. He didn't even have to tell her to leave. A couple minutes later they were speeding away from the station, and he and Vala were entering the infirmary with their new guest. Vala moved on to her lab in the old AI Core to go over the information she got from the pod.

He gently laid their guest on one of the infirmary tables. She was breathing heavy and looking around the room. She was probably scared of the machines she saw in there. Some of them looked similar to ones in that damned lab she was kept in.

"At least there aren't any sharp objects hanging on the wall eh?" he quipped, hoping his tone would help ease her nerves.

She focused on him again with her lavender, cat-like eyes.

"Nothing in this room will hurt you," he said as soothingly as he could.

Her breathing slowed while she focused on him. He stood next to the bed again, and caressed the top of her head, where there was fur left. She responded well it seemed, with a faint smile.

"That's better."

He gave her some medi-gel, hoping to relieve the pain that he knew she had to be in. Especially, with a glance at her crooked fingers and ribs.

"I'm going to do all I can here, set you up with an IV that will get you some nutrition and hopefully help you feel better. Unfortunately, there are some things I can't help you with."

He put some extra medi-gel on her hands and chest. She looked out the window, which drew his attention there as well. Lyrel and Gurz both watched them. He beckoned them to come in, but only Lyrel joined them. Gurz instead went to the kitchen and started digging through one of the freezers.

"Where are we going, Kevin?" Lyrel asked.

She was standing on the other side of the table from him. Fortunately, their guest didn't appear scared of her.

"Illium," he replied. "It's the closest place with doctors that won't ask questions."

"Are you sure?" she inquired. "The last time we were there, we didn't exactly leave on good terms with the authorities."

"That was a different ship and a different time, Lyrel." He looked down at their guest on the table. "Besides, I'll risk it if we can get her the help she needs."

Lyrel looked at their furry guest, who was very calm thanks to the IV he hooked her up to.

"I bet she's beautiful when she's healthy," she observed.

He smiled. "Well, hopefully we'll get to find out."

He heard the door hiss behind him and Vala walked up to the table.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"I'm working on a translation program. It seems some of the data was meant for a first contact situation; lots of pictures and correlating words. Hopefully, I can come up with something. Until then, there isn't much I can do. We need her for the rest."

Kevin nodded in understanding. He saw Vala reach into one of her pockets out of the corner of his eye. She pulled out what looked like a square piece of paper. She handed it to the creature.

"I found it in the pod. It looks like a family picture."

Their guest tried to grab it, but her fingers wouldn't work, so instead Vala stuck it into a machine next to the bed. The creature stared at the picture that showed her with two others.

"She was pretty," Lyrel observed.

"And you will be again," he promised to their guest.

"We should probably let her rest now. She's been through a lot," Lyrel suggested.

"You're right," Kevin agreed.

They started to leave but he felt a furry hand try to grab his. He looked at her, and her eyes pleaded with him to stay.

"Of course, it wouldn't hurt for you to stay with her until she falls asleep," Vala suggested. "I'll be in my room when you can get away."

Lyrel shook her head as they left the room, leaving Kevin with their friend. He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. It was then that he got an idea.

"Kevin," he said to the attentive creature while pointing at himself. He repeated it, hoping she would get the idea.

She slowly moved her hand and touched her chest.

"Razza," she replied with a roll of the tongue. Her voice was weak and raspy from disuse.

"Hello, Razza," he greeted her and smiled. "Your nightmare is finally over."

He wiped away the tears that moistened her fur as she started to cry, and stayed with her until she fell asleep.


	14. Nowhere to Hide

**Nowhere to Hide**

**Liandra's Station:**

Liandra opened her eyes, trying to get her bearings after the shock to her system. She ached all over, but something told her she needed to ignore that, and get out of there. She pulled herself up using a nearby chair that she used for perusing her collection. Once up, she forced her legs to move, stumbling toward the way out. When the doors opened, however, a nasty surprise greeted her. Three drones appeared in the air, and they all pointed her way. She dived to the side of the door just as a massive jet of flames poured through before it closed.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" She put out little fires on her clothes while she stood back up.

She looked around the room, hoping to find something to distract the drones with. Unfortunately, the only things that would suffice were her trophies. She headed toward her newest one, the raloi, when she got an idea. She ran to the nearest terminal and called for some guards to come to the trophy room. She waited a few moments by the door until she could hear footsteps approaching.

"What?" she heard a muffled voice say outside. "Those were guards!"

The footsteps got faster and she prepared herself to rush through the door. When the telltale _fwoosh_ and screaming started, she opened the door and ran in the opposite direction of the flames. She almost got away unscathed, when one of the drones aimed at her briefly before it deactivated. She screamed as the fire lashed across her back. She rolled on the floor to put out her back, but by the time the fire went out, the damage was already done. She strained to get herself on her belly and push herself to her feet. She screamed with the effort, but sound seemed muffled, almost surreal. A batarian rounded the corner and saw her.

"Mistress!" He ran toward her to help.

He grabbed her arm and helped her back to her feet. His voice sounded surreal as well. She closed her eyes, as if that would help the pain go away. Eventually, they entered the infirmary.

"She's in shock. Help her onto the bed and lay her on her stomach," a muffled voice commanded. "And get an engineer out there to disable those traps!"

She felt a prick on her neck from a hypodermic needle, and the commanding voice told her she would fall asleep soon. Relief finally came as the world around her went black.

She awoke sometime later to the sound of a not so muffled voice talking to someone else in the room. Her back still hurt, but not nearly as much as it did before she fell asleep. She could feel that her back was now bandaged, but aside from that she was naked. Her leather body suit lay in tatters nearby, covered in purple blood.

"Ah, I see you're awake, Liandra. Good!" Liandra's doctor, an asari named Nevos, greeted her. She noticed that Liandra was looking at her clothes. "I cut out a lot of your leather suit since it was fused to your skin."

"And what of my back?" she asked the doctor.

"It will heal, though I'm afraid the scarring will be permanent," the doctor informed her.

The doctor walked away, leaving her alone and staring at the door.

"How is your nose, Philip?" the doctor asked.

Liandra whipped her head around to see Philip lying on his back and holding an ice pack to his face. Rage welled inside her and she flew off the bed, despite the doctor's protests. She wrapped her hands around his neck and throttled him.

"This is all your fault you bastard! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she screamed at him.

The doctor tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't have it and continued to choke him.

"I… thought… they were… dead!" he managed to wheeze despite her best efforts.

She let him go and the doctor lead her back to the bed, where she lay back down, but continued to glare at Philip, who already put the ice pack back on his face.

"This is still your fault," she blamed him.

"How do you figure?" he asked, his voice muffled by the ice pack.

"Someone from your ship told him all about the creature," she informed him.

"I know. It's my X.O. She also killed the bridge crew of my ship," he explained and then pointed at his face. "I would've had her too if your goons hadn't stopped me."

"You probably deserved it," she spat.

The station rocked from an explosion, throwing Liandra from her bed. Her vision blurred when she landed on the cold floor on her back. It took a couple of moments to regain her footing, and when she did, she stumbled to the nearest comm terminal.

"What the fuck is going on out there?" she wheezed, doubled over in front of the terminal.

A vorcha, one of the few non-batarians on the station, answered her comm.

"Bomb in trophy room! Set off by crew trying to find more flaming things!"

"What!?"

She rushed out of the infirmary, her back forgotten, and ran in the direction of the trophy room. Soon, she just followed the smoke. She rounded the corner to the trophy room, almost barreling over the vorcha she talked to earlier. She biotically pushed him out of her way, sending him sprawling across the floor.

She could see the doors of the room were blown across the corridor and lay warped and charred on the floor. She reached the opening where the doors used to be and nearly passed out. All the art created through her passion, blood, sweat, and tears; gone.

She willed herself to go into the disaster area, careful where she stepped with her bare feet. There were limbs and other body parts scattered throughout the rubble; some from the workers that were clearing the booby traps, and some from her art.

"Dammit Trygg!" she screamed at the rubble. "Taking the creature wasn't enough for you? You just had to commit this final insult!"

She left the room, not wanting to look at it any longer. Philip was waiting for her outside of the hole. He no longer pressed the ice pack to his nose, allowing her to see how bruised his face was. She determined to make it even more so, and ruined the doctor's work with a single punch.

"What the fuck, Liandra!" his muffled voice yelled at her through his hands.

She pushed him against the wall and pinned him there with biotics in response. With his hands pinned at this side, she grabbed his broken nose and pulled, eliciting a scream. Instead of yelling at him, she spoke calmly next to his ear.

"I should put you on a table and skin you alive for this."

His eyes went wide and he started to whine.

_Good. You should be afraid!_

"But you're lucky. I've decided Trygg earned the honor of being the first I add to a new collection, with that quarian following shortly thereafter. In fact, I may make her watch," she seethed.

She knew he didn't care what happened to them, or at least would have no objections to it, but she needed to vent, and convenience became his enemy. His eyes were watering now from the pain of her pulling on his broken nose. It sounded like he was trying to say something, so she let go of his nose and dropped the biotic field that held him. He gasped and his hands went straight to his nose and cupped it.

"I can help you," he said, his voice muffled again by his hands.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"I know him. I know how he thinks, and even though most of the bridge crew is dead, thanks to my former XO, I still have a ship," he explained.

"You mean _her_ ship," she replied, sarcasm dripping with every word.

"It's only her ship if I bring it back to her," he said.

"Well, haven't we grown a quad?"

"Don't give me that shit," he spat. "Think about it. The Terminus relay system isn't even close to being rebuilt. She's stuck in her little kingdom and any other ships of hers are months away from here. Her rule is moot to us. Her reach doesn't extend as far as she would like people to believe."

She thought about it for a moment. Admittedly, he had a point. What could Aria really do without a relay network to connect her to the rest of the galaxy?

"So what if I agree? Where are we going to get a crew to replace your old one?" she asked as she walked back to the infirmary.

"Illium isn't that far away. We send a message there, saying we want to hire on a new crew. There's got to be people there looking for work," he suggested while he followed her.

She caught him staring at her tits, which were swinging free and uncovered by her open robe. The attention wasn't unwelcome, though, so she let him stare. She'd probably need a little stress relief later anyway.

_Might as well get his juices flowing. _

She laughed to herself at the thought.

_You were ready to strangle and skin him alive just moments ago, but now you're ready to fuck him? My, what a fickle creature you are, Liandra. _

Hours later she looked at messages on her extranet terminal. It seemed the snoring man in the bed behind her had a good idea after all. Messages already poured in from people in Illium looking for work. Engineers, helmsmen, mercs, bounty hunters, and even a couple of assassins sent messages her way, inquiring more about the job. Her smile grew with each reply she sent out, thinking about what she could do with such a force. Credits weren't an issue. She had plenty of those saved up over the centuries. Not to mention any piracy they perform.

She winced when she accidentally leaned back on her chair, a reminder of why she did this in the first place.

"I'm going to get you, Trygg," she whispered while bringing up an image of his ship. "I'm going to catch you, and make you watch as I turn everyone you love into my trophies, and then I will violate you before you join them in death. I will take everything back you took from me, and take by force everything you've ever kept from me," she seethed at the screen.

Her body tingled at the thought and she looked behind her at the sleeping Philip. He lay on his back, the blanket only covering his waist. She uncrossed her legs and got up from the chair. She hadn't bothered to put on any clothes when she got out of bed earlier, so the cool air of her room gave her goose flesh as it flowed around her. She sat on the edge of the bed, rousing him from his slumber.

"We've already got messages coming in, Philip," she said. "It seems all sorts are looking for jobs, and they're the sorts we'll want for our hunt."

"Good," his groggy voice replied. "The sooner we can start this, the better."

"What? You in a hurry to get rid of me?"

She ran her hand up his thigh and under the blanket that barely covered him. He grunted in response and lifted his head to look at her.

"Of course not." He squirmed with her touch. "I thought you were coming with."

"So I'm invited then? Good."

She removed his blanket and crawled over him until they were face to face. She ground her hips into him before she continued.

"Today started pretty rough, but I'm willing to look past everything as long as you can deliver in the coming months."

She leaned over him, her tits swaying above his face. She felt his hands caress them.

"Oh. I'll deliver. Between us, Trygg is going down."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," she said before her eyes blackened and she melded with him.

* * *

A couple weeks later, the prospective crew-members for the newly minted _Liandra's Favor_ started arriving at the station. It turned out they needed more than originally thought, since the remaining crew after Tava's betrayal were reluctant to piss of Aria. They were spaced, one-by-one, for their stubborn refusal to join him with his new employer. Liandra enjoyed that part, as he recalled. She glued herself to the viewing window and watched each body split open in the empty void. Once they were all done, she dragged him back to her bedroom and didn't let him leave all day.

Philip now acclimated the new crew with his ship; at least, those who had shown up so far. They would have to wait for a couple more weeks until everyone arrived from Illium. They were expecting some Eclipse mercs, an engineer, and an assassin. There used to be two assassins, but the drell decided it didn't want to deal with them, though he suspected it may have been something to do with the other assassin, a turian. He got the impression of bad blood between them.

Two bounty hunters also offered their services. They weren't waiting for them though. Liandra thought they would be more valuable doing what they do best, hunting. They were out there now, looking for any information they could find on the _Black Widow_ and her crew, so when _Liandra's Favor_ finally disembarked, they would have an idea where to go.

_Enjoy the calm before the storm, Trygg. Soon, you'll have nowhere to hide. _


	15. The Doctor

**The Doctor**

**Black Widow**

Kevin was having a good dream. His arms were around Vala, her enviro-suit nowhere to be seen. She smiled and said something to him, though it was muffled and in a language he couldn't understand. He buried his face in her hair and ran his hands down her back. Her skin felt like silk in his hands, smooth and soft to the touch and conforming to his fingers.

He awoke, the strangeness of that last thought breaking his dream. He realized that reality crept into his dream as his hands caressed the silk covered Vala, who nuzzled up against him. He could feel her breath flow across his neck with each rise and fall of her chest.

_She must have come in after I fell asleep._

She wore a robe he'd never seen before, instead of her enviro-suit; a first for both of them. He ran his fingers down her back and felt embroidery expertly sewn into the silk. He let his fingers trace the curve of her hips and she stirred in response.

"Mmm, I like that," she whispered. "It feels good."

"Good morning," he greeted. "This is certainly a pleasant surprise."

"I thought you'd like it."

"Of course! You don't even have your suit on."

"I wanted you to see my robe," she explained.

She unwrapped herself from his arms and sat up; robe gleaming in what little light was available.

"Lights, medium," he commanded.

The lights slowly brightened, revealing Vala in all her glory. She sat cross-legged on the bed, her robe open down the front. She bit her lip and smiled at him while she closed her robe.

"You did that on purpose," he teased.

She giggled in response and modeled the robe. It was silver with gold embroidery that depicted a beautiful scene of an ancient Viking ship and a type of ship he didn't recognize sailing together on golden waves. The second ship looked ancient, like the Viking ship, but it had dual hulls and masts. A large sail stretched between the two masts. On her hips rested a golden rope belt, styled like the utility belt she wore with her enviro-suit, minus the belt pouches.

"That's beautiful, Vala. Where did you get it?"

"It was made for me. A master seamstress arrived on Arcturus a few months before we left. She moved from Earth so she could be with her grandchildren. They were the only family she had left."

She fidgeted with the garment which prompted him to sit up and coax her toward him. She sat on his lap and leaned her back against him. He buried his face in her hair and listened to the rest of her story.

"I helped her with her belongings when she arrived on the station. She'd never even left Earth before, and I was the first non-human she'd ever met. She invited me into her new apartment and asked me to stay awhile since her grandchildren were busy. She asked so many questions about me, where I came from, history of my people… even if I was seeing anyone."

She giggled and wrapped his arms around her.

"When I told her your name, I thought I accidentally activated an educational VI. As it turns out, her maiden name was Trygg. Told me all about the history of the Trygg name; going back to a people she called the Vikings."

"When she asked me about the history of my own people, I had to look it up. Before the geth welcomed us back to Rannoch, our history was lost to us. The geth not only gave us back our home, but they gave us back our history as well. She actually asked for the info, so I gave it to her; translated of course. She said she wanted to learn more about us. How could I say no?"

He watched her gaze lower to the garment she wore. He ran his fingers along one of the golden embroideries she looked at.

"She sent this to me with a message thanking me for visiting with her. She also told me about this robe. It was a traditional garment from centuries before the Morning War. She found it in the files. She also found a ship design from a time in our history that matched your period of the Vikings."

"Wow! She really… uh…" He paused, mesmerized by the way the silver silk complimented her light, blue-gray skin.

"Did her homework? That she did." She turned and smiled at him.

"Any significance to the choice of colors?" he asked.

"No. She thought it would look pretty on me."

"She definitely got that right," he observed.

She shifted and sat on his lap sideways, the glowing orbs of her eyes gazed into his.

"And… umm… what of the two ships sailing together?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked before her lips gently met his.

They were interrupted moments later by Lyrel, who contacted them by intercom.

"Kevin, we're two hours from Illium."

He laughed as Vala sighed in response.

"You've got impeccable timing, Lyrel," Vala whined.

"I don't do it on purpose, I swear!" Lyrel tried to explain.

Kevin chuckled and got out of bed despite Vala's protests.

"I'm sorry, he whispered. "I guess it's time to go to work. Lyrel, once we're close enough to establish comms with the planet, see if Doc is still alive. He's the one I'd prefer."

"Will do," Lyrel complied and ended the conversation.

Kevin just put on a fresh shirt when he felt Vala's hands wrap around his waist and pull him toward the bed.

"Do we really have to go?" she whined.

He turned in her arms to face her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He marveled again at the quality of the robe she wore, smooth and soft to the touch.

"Unfortunately, yeah. Someone's depending on us."

"Of course; _she's_ the center of everything right now."

Her tone alarmed him.

"Are you jealous of Razza?"

"She's been getting most of your attention these last couple of weeks."

"She needs our help, Vala. You've been working on making an accurate translation for our universal translators, Gurz feeds her, and I've been attending to the medical needs that I can. I'm not the only one that's given her a lot of attention."

"Wait… Gurz feeds her? Why haven't I seen this?"

"Guess you've been too busy with the translating," he replied, smirking. "Get your suit on and maybe we can catch him before they're done."

He nodded toward her suit that lay upon his couch.

"Besides, after that kiss, I'm pretty sure we'll be spending time in the infirmary anyway," he said, chuckling afterwards.

She blushed and apologized before she broke off from his embrace and walked to her suit. He watched her, getting a better view of the robe she wore. He admired the way it hugged her figure.

_Definitely knew what she was doing. Remember to look her up the next time you're on Arcturus, _he noted.

He left the room to give her some privacy, and saw her robe fall to the floor as he walked out the door. A few minutes later she joined him at the elevator where he waited.

"You could've stayed," she said. "I wouldn't have minded. Who knows, maybe we'd still be in there… in bed."

They entered the elevator and headed to the crew deck.

"It took all my will power to walk out that door," he explained. "It was very tempting to pick you off your feet and lay you back on my bed. I even imagined the whole thing while I waited for you."

"Don't tease me like that!" she cried and punched him in the arm.

He feigned pain in his arm and smiled.

"You know why we can't right now."

He leaned against the wall and watched her. She was running her foot along the grooves in the floor.

"Yeah, we're waiting for a doctor." She quietly laughed. "You know, it's usually me who worries about my health. I swear, if it wasn't for your _will power_ I'd probably be sick and in the infirmary all the time."

He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I've noticed something positive though."

"Oh? And what is that?" she asked, perking up with interest.

"The more we've kissed this past month, the less severe the attacks afterwards have become."

She stood in silence for a while, probably thinking about it. It was true enough, though. He remembered the first time where Lyrel practically had to carry them to the infirmary. It took all of 10 minutes for them to get sick. Now, they'd still get sick, but it probably wouldn't be for a while, and where she puked before, she may just get a headache this time.

They almost bumped into Kara and Penn when the elevator stopped and they stepped out. Kara held Niri, who seemed to be getting bigger all the time. He tapped the little girl's bubble and got a smile in response. He nodded to the two engineers and continued to the infirmary. When the doors opened, Vala just about squealed.

"Keelah! I need a picture of this!"

Vala's omni-tool flashed open and issued a snapping noise. She showed him the picture, which captured a perfect moment where Gurz held out a varren flank to Razza. The sheets of her bed wrapped around her like swaddling clothes, leaving only her face exposed. Her whole body reached for flank, her mouth gaping to accept the food. Her white, sharp teeth glistened in lights of the room. They looked up from the picture to see Razza looking at them, her eyes hopping between them while she chewed.

"She's looking a lot healthier and alert," Vala observed.

"It's amazing how well a person can thrive when they're not locked up, treated like crap, and fed poorly," Gurz gruffly responded.

Kevin approached the bed and started to inspect Razza while Vala entered her lab. He looked at her eyes first, which brightened significantly in the past two weeks. Her face filled out, no longer looking sunken and drawn. She took another bite and allowed him to uncover her head. He frowned when he looked at her ears. For the most part, they were fine. Her hearing seemed to work, though the doctor would make a better determination on that. What bothered him was further evidence of cruelty she suffered before they rescued her. Her ears started at the middle of her head and stretched upwards to a point about two inches past the top of her head. At least one did. An inch of her right ear got snipped or sliced off, leaving only an infected wound.

"At least the infection is mostly gone," he observed, causing her to look back at him.

He coaxed her to un-wrap herself from the sheets and she allowed him to lift her shirt enough so he could look at her stomach and back. There were more good signs there. Her ribs weren't as visible anymore, though he could still tell which ones healed out of place. The patches of bare skin were filling in with fur. She showed him her hands, the reason why Gurz had to feed her. Her fingers were still out of place thanks to healing wrong.

"These will be fixed soon. I promise," he softly said.

He knew she couldn't understand him, not that she would answer if she did. She finished the meat and now chewed on the bone. He flinched at the sharp, crunching sound she made with each bite.

"That's my girl." Gurz encouraged her. "You humans waste so much when you don't eat the bones."

"We don't exactly have the teeth, jaws, or digestive system for that Gurz," he responded.

"Too bad. It strengthens the jaws, provides plenty of calcium, and the marrow is good for your immune system."

"What's good for the immune system?" Vala asked, re-entering the room from her lab.

She flinched from the sharp crunch of Razza biting into the bone again.

"Keelah! She's eating the bone? How is that good for immune systems?"

"Bone marrow is a good source of nutrients for it," Kevin answered.

"Oh…" Vala looked at the kitchen through the window and asked, "Does it taste good?"

"It's an acquired taste," Gurz answered. "Why? You wanna try some?

Kevin swore Gurz looked excited at the prospect. There was a moment of silence, punctuated by more crunching that made Vala jump.

"Um… sure," Vala responded.

She barely answered before Gurz charged out the door .

"He certainly enjoys his job," she observed.

"I think he's just excited to finally get to make something for you. He doesn't exactly cook up tubes of vegan nutrient paste." He studied her, wondering what went through her head at that moment. "You're feeling adventurous today. First, you take off your enviro-suit around me and now you're going to try bone marrow?"

"I'm... not sure if I can actually do it, but I don't want to disappoint him either."

"Maybe you should start with meat first," a voice behind them suggested.

It made both of them jump and look at Razza.

"If you don't like meat, you won't like marrow," she explained with her velvety voice.

Kevin smiled at Vala.

"I guess you finally got it figured out."

"I didn't know it was working this well yet. The last time I said something to her she laughed at me."

Razza cackled, drawing their attention.

"That's because you said your feet are made of glitter and sunshine." Razza's eyes shined with mirth.

"What? I asked how you were doing. I didn't realize the translators were that off," she tried to explain.

"Glitter and sunshine, huh?" Kevin mused. "How do you walk?"

Vala looked at him for a few moments before she answered.

"Simple. I ride a unicorn varren made of chocolate."

She donned an imperious stance and strutted out of the infirmary, leaving Kevin alone with Razza.

"Are you two mates?" she asked.

The question genuinely surprised him.

"How'd you know?"

"Your body language and pheromones," she explained. "You two gravitate toward each other whenever you're in the same room."

"Wow… you're very observant," he said.

"I smelled it first, and then I watched you two. It's a very… sweet smell. I like it."

He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We need to talk about your hands and ribs," he told her.

"Oh."

She looked at her hands, and he could hear a tiny whimper as she tried to flex them. He placed a hand on them.

"Please stop. Don't hurt yourself needlessly."

She looked up at him; her lavender eyes filled with emotion. He smiled, hoping to help put her mind at ease.

"We're going to have a doctor come to the ship. He's going to fix your hands, ribs, and anything else that broke and healed improperly."

He winced when she looked down at one of her feet, which was crooked at the ankle.

"It's going to be tough, though. He'll have to conduct surgery and break them again. He can then reset the bones so they heal right."

Instead of saying anything, she nodded and leaned her head against him. There was a moment of silence before he scratched the top of her head, something she appeared to like, and headed for the door.

"Can I go out there with you?" she asked.

"Of course you can."

He braced her on her bad side so she wouldn't have to put weight on her crooked ankle. When they walked out of the room, several people looked at them. Vala sat at the table, with her helmet off, poking at a small, cooked bird leg of some sort. Lyrel leaned on the table, looking amused. Kara and Penn sat at the table across from Vala, Kara still holding Niri, who pointed at Gurz. He stood at the end of the table looking proud of himself. Romanova and Naru both stood nearby. Silence permeated the room, all eyes turning back to Vala. He sat Razza down next to her and then sat on the other side of the table next to Kara, making sure to wave at little Niri who gurgled in her ball.

"C'mon Vala. Stop poking at it and take a bite," Gurz prodded her.

"I don't think she can do it," Lyrel chimed in. "Too long eating her vegetables has made her a wuss."

Vala glared daggers at Lyrel.

"Woah! Seems I hit a nerve with that one!" Lyrel winked at Vala. "I have to say, though. Kevin, you know how to pick the pretty ones, even when you can't see their face."

"You would know," Vala quipped.

"Yes, I would." Lyrel struck a pose.

"Please! I'm prettier than the lot of ya!" Gurz claimed and gave them a dismissive wave. "C'mon Vala! Just one bite."

Vala poked at the leg a couple of times until she finally pulled a piece of meat off the bone. She slowly brought it to her nose while rolling it around in her fingers.

"At least it doesn't smell bad," she said.

Finally, she popped the white meat into her mouth and chewed. She took time, chewing it for several seconds before finishing.

"This is really good!" Vala exclaimed.

She continued eating and Gurz hit the ceiling.

"I told you she'd like it! Pay up, Lyrel!"

Lyrel sighed and transferred credits to the krogan. She looked at Kevin afterwards and gestured for him to speak to her in private. They walked to the other side of the elevators.

"What's up?" Kevin asked.

"I got a hold of Doc. I didn't give him the details about Razza, but he still wants to help," she said.

"That's good news, but why did we need to talk about this in private?"

"Because there's a catch I wanted to tell you about before we told the others. He needs our help."

"He's helped us out a lot. I think that's reasonable."

"You didn't let me finish. Some mercs are trying to kill him. He's in hiding but he can't leave the planet."

He thought for a moment, ideas flew through his mind until one stood out from the rest.

"Sounds like we need to do what we do best," he said moments later.

"Mmm. It's been a while since we've smuggled someone off planet."

"Like old times." He smiled. "How much longer till we get there?"

"We've still got an hour."

"Good, I'll talk to everyone. See if you can get any more info from him."

"On it," she complied.

She called the elevator and he walked back to the group. Vala finished the leg but Gurz was coaxing her to suck marrow out of the bone that he broke in half.

"Remember. It's good for you."

"Doesn't make it any more appealing, Gurz," she responded.

Kevin laid his hands on her shoulders and massaged them, which seemed to give her some courage, and she placed the end of the bone in her mouth.

"Keelah! That's awful!"

She dropped the bone and gagged. He patted her back until she stopped. Razza started to reach for the bone, but he stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Razza. That stuff won't be good for you."

She looked confused so he asked Kara and Penn to explain it to her because he needed to talk to Vala, Gurz, and Naru.

They entered the starboard lounge and sat down. He explained to them the situation and their rolls once they got to Illium. When the meeting finished, they all went to prepare for their parts and Kevin helped Razza back into the infirmary.

**Illium – Nos Astra – 1 hour later:**

Kevin stepped off the docking tube with his chosen crew in tow. The docking bay overflowed with people of various races and several vendors hocking their wares.

"I see weapons vendors!" Gurz exclaimed. "Can I look at one before we rush off to the rescue?"

"Dammit, Gurz! Not so loud," Kevin scolded the krogan. "There might be people listening."

"Sorry. I just want to spend some of these credits I earned for you know what."

Instead of replying, Kevin typed out a message on his omni-tool and sent it to Gurz that told him to wait till their stop at the Citadel. Gurz nodded and Kevin turned to Naru who trailed behind them.

"You remember what to look for?"

"Levo and dextro foodstuffs, medical supplies, thermal clips and anything else I think we may need," Naru confirmed. "I made a list, Captain, don't worry."

"The ribs and steaks too?" Gurz asked.

"Yes, Gurz. Those too," Naru assured him.

"I think Gurz is excited to have two more mouths to feed his delicacies to," Lyrel whispered to Vala who nodded in response.

"Just you wait, Vala. I will make you the best dextro ribs you've ever had."

"Considering I've never had any, that shouldn't be too hard," Vala mused.

Kevin smiled at the banter. It lifted his spirits to see how well Valla got along with his old crew. His smile faded as they cleared the docking bay, though.

"Spirits! I guess Illium wasn't spared from the Reapers either," Lyrel observed.

The skyline had its typical skyscrapers filling the view, but some were still severely damaged, even almost two years after the war.

"Some of the companies and individuals who owned those buildings went bankrupt before they could finish," Kevin explained. "It's one of the many after effects of a war that caused so much devastation."

They stared at the scene for a few moments before moving on with their mission. They rented a transport capable of carrying cargo and headed deeper into the city. They arrived at their destination half an hour later. It was a damaged warehouse with parts of the roof missing. When they entered the warehouse they saw further devastation. Crates were scattered and charred, some lay open on the floor. There was one crate that caught Kevin's attention, though. He walked over to it and knocked on it three times. He heard a rustling inside and three knocks answered his. He called for Vala. She programmed a false shipping label into the crate's system and Gurz moved it to the cargo truck.

"With the state of Illium as it is, are they really going to care about a single crate enough to check the label and scan it?" Vala asked when they got back in the truck.

"It's just in case. There's a lot more precautions taken inside the crate as well. We're more worried about being stopped by Eclipse. They're the ones after him."

"What did he do?" she asked.

"We'll ask him when we get back to the ship."

"You mean you don't know? You just help him without asking questions?"

"He's a friend, and we help our friends."

He kissed her visor as Gurz and Lyrel got into the cab having secured their cargo. They sped off into the sky, taking a pre-determined, less travelled route back to the _Black Widow._ A few gunships flew overhead, some of them with Eclipse colors, but they didn't pay the truck any heed. A few tense moments made them sweat though, with one gunship following close to them the entire way back. When they got to the cargo checkpoint to the docking bay, the gunship broke off and docking officers waved their truck though without even a cursory glance. They made it all the way back to their ship and loaded the crate without even a single inspection, question, or further pursuit.

Several more crates arrived for them, all from Naru's shopping trip. Once everything was on board, they were cleared to leave. Kevin held his breath as the ship rocketed into the sky. A few moments later they broke atmosphere and Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you all right, Kevin?" Vala asked from beside him in the bridge.

"You can say what you've been holding in for the last hour," Lyrel told him.

"That was too easy," he said. "Let's go have a chat with the doctor."

They made their way to the cargo bay. He approached the crate and entered the release code. The crate opened and a jumpy salarian popped out.

"Ah, Kevin. Very good!" he greeted in his quick, high voice. "It was cramped in there."

"Hey, Doc." He helped the salarian out of the crate and brushed him off.

"Lyrel! Gurz! It's good to see you again!" Doc looked at Vala. "A new crew member! Hello!"

"Hello, Doctor?"

"Doctor Areon! Salok Areon! Everybody calls me Doc! Good to meet you!" he greeted her.

"Vala'Sun vas Black Widow. Good to meet you too." She shook the excited salarian's hand and giggled.

"_Black Widow!_ Good name for this ship. I saw it when you arrived."

"You were supposed to be in the crate," Kevin said with a lopsided grin. He saw where this was going.

"Yes! The mercs were a ruse. Needed to play trick on new employers. Even paid Eclipse mercs to follow my transponder and make you sweat."

Gurz and Lyrel laughed so hard they leaned on each other, Vala stood speechless, and Kevin chuckled.

"I see you still play your tricks, Doc," Naru wheezed in greeting.

"And Naru too! Splendid!" He quickly looked around as if looking for something. "What about Rawlings? He didn't want to come and see me?"

Lyrel and Gurz's laughter died down and Kevin lowered his gaze.

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry."

"It's ok Doc." Kevin smiled again. "So what's this about your new employers?"

"Yes! Lyrel told me you needed a ship physician! I am doctor you trust. I accept the position."

"Well, in that case, we better take you to see your first patient on this ship," Kevin said and guided the doctor toward the elevator.

Everyone else followed them, wanting to see Doc's reaction to his patient.

* * *

Shock etched the face of the strange, gray alien standing before her. She hadn't seen an alien like this before. She heard them call him Doc. His head was narrow with what looked like two rounded horns at the top, giant black eyes and a wide, gaping mouth.

"I think this is the longest he's gone without talking," Lyrel quipped.

"After that first meeting I'd believe it," Vala responded.

They both stood in the room with Kevin and Doc. Gurz and the short, round one she hadn't gotten to know yet were watching through the big window.

"Can she understand me?" Doc asked Kevin, breaking his stupor.

"Yes," she responded, re-gaining Doc's attention.

"Good!" He smiled at her. "So, tell me what's wrong?"

She wrapped the sheets back around her earlier, which hid her injuries from view. She un-wrapped herself and heard him gasp once the sheets were removed. He inspected her hands and Kevin gently lifted her shirt enough to see her ribs, which Doc felt around noting the fractures. He also looked down at her twisted foot before he spoke again.

"Who or what did this to you?" he asked. She could hear sympathy in his voice.

"Long story Doc; I'll let her tell you about it. Know she looked a lot worse than this when we rescued her. Will you be able to help her?" Kevin asked.

He lowered her shirt again once Doc was done inspecting her ribs.

"Yes! This infirmary will be more than sufficient, but I will need your assistance, Kevin." He made a cursory glance around the room. "When can we start?"

"When you're ready."

"Good. We'll start in 30 minutes. Everyone else out!"

He shooed Lyrel and Vala out of the room and closed the blinds of the infirmary. He and Kevin disappeared into a small room in the corner near Vala's lab. She heard a _hiss_ come from it. A few moments later they emerged from the room wearing white clothes and went to work preparing IVs, machines and other implements they would need for the surgery. Once they were done, Doc approached her.

"What is your name?"

"Razza," she answered.

"Razza. I like it. All right, Razza, I need you to take off your clothes for this surgery. Also, I will have to shave the areas where we need to fix broken bones."

He spoke so quickly it took all her concentration to follow what he said. He pointed to a small tool in his hand.

"This is a hypodermic needle. It will put you to sleep, and when you wake up, the healing process will have already started."

He smiled at her. She liked him despite how hard it was to understand what he was saying. He turned to Kevin and nodded, then addressed her again.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and lay down on the bed. She felt a quick prick on her neck and a few moments later her world faded to black.


	16. No Friends To Turn To

**No Friends To turn To**

**Illium:**

Tava marched through the streets of Illium, trying her best to not lash out in rage at anybody nearby.

_I can't believe they actually left me here!_

She shoved through a group of pedestrians standing in her way. They started to protest but she flashed her biotics making them back off.

_Teach me for being nice. I should have kept my mouth shut._

An unlucky volus waddled through her path, oblivious to the disaster about to befall him. She unleashed her pent up fury upon the volus with a strong biotic push that sent him careening into a nearby wall, leaving a dent in it.

_But they couldn't just let me leave on my own either. No! They humiliated me! That krogan brute threw me out the ship and into the street!_

She didn't worry about the authorities, not where she was. Few wandered the streets of this part of Nos Astra, leaving it to the less savory types. It reminded her of Omega. She ignored the screaming volus, much like everyone else in the present area, and continued to her ex-bondmate's place.

_Guess the war wasn't kind to you, Kim._

Her ex, a successful accountant the last time she visited him, must have seen hard times to end up in these slums.

She finally found his place tucked away in an obscure alleyway. She scowled at the building, which looked like it should be condemned. She soon learned, however, the inside made the outside look luxurious.

Overwhelming odors of filth, urine, and decay assaulted her senses, making her cringe and cover her nose and mouth the moment she opened the door. She gagged the entire way to the door of Kim's place. It didn't even have a proper placard of any type; instead the name "Kim Yun" adorned the grimy wall in black paint. He didn't answer when she knocked on his door.

_Not even a panel to announce your arrival with._

The smell overwhelmed any attempt to stave it off, so she gave up knocking and hacked the door. The cheap door's lock software lasted a matter of seconds and she soon entered the room.

The pungent aromas of the hallway were nowhere near as potent once the door closed behind her. She saw Kim sitting in a chair on the far side of the tiny studio apartment.

"Kim! It's Tava! What the hell happened to you! Why didn't you answer the door?"

He didn't respond, provoking her to walk up to the chair and confront him.

"Goddess!"

A hole the width of her thumb penetrated through his head. She could see the floor through the other side. He looked to be a few hours dead.

"Shit!"

She ran for the door, no intention of sticking around to become a victim herself, but when the door opened she came face-to-face with a large turian.

"Hello, Tava. I've been waiting for you in this shithole for too long; so please, resist capture. It'll make me feel better," he goaded her.

She felt power swell in her body, but before she could unleash a biotic attack, a stun weapon knocked her to the floor in a violent spasm. She didn't get a chance to recover before an armored hand seized the front of her shirt.

"Thanks for your cooperation," he said.

He flipped her onto her stomach and used special manacles on her hands so she couldn't use her biotics. When he pulled her back to her feet, she whipped her head back, landing a solid hit on the turian's head. She ran when his grip loosened, but barely got out the door when an armored hand wrapped around the back of her neck. The last thing she saw was the wall rushing toward her head.

**Liandra's Favor:**

"Excellent, Tyvus! I'm sure Philip will be pleased you've captured his wayward XO," Liandra congratulated the turian bounty hunter.

"You want me to do anything with her?" he asked.

"You can do whatever you want with her as long as she's alive by the time we get there," she answered.

"When can I expect you?"

"In a couple of weeks I think. We're about to leave. Illium will be our first stop."

"Understood."

She ended the call and smiled.

_An excellent way to start this new venture, _she thought.

She headed to the bridge to share the good news with Philip. She stopped, however, before she reached the bridge and inspected the corridor a moment. She wasn't overly fond of the turian ship designs. They were too imperious for her likes. She much preferred the gracefulness of the asari ships. Perhaps she could convince Philip to trade it in for an asari frigate. She snorted at the thought.

_Convince? I could have him storming Tuchanka just by flashing my tits._

She put the thought behind her and entered the bridge. Philip paced the bridge, finalizing the checklists before they disembarked.

"We almost ready to go?" she asked.

"30 minutes and we'll be underway," he replied. "That anxious to leave your station are you?"

She flinched at his quip. She'd lived on her station for decades. She would eventually return. Besides, they needed a home port and place to fall back to. She would leave behind her guards and station attendants to repair and upkeep the station until they returned.

"I'm anxious to find Trygg and his whores. What about you?" she countered.

"Oh, I can't wait. We have a long way to go, though."

"Perhaps not as far as you think; Tyvus has a gift for us on Illium," she said.

"Really?" He perked up at the mention of the bounty hunter.

"Oh yes. He captured Tava," she explained.

"Fuck the checklists! Let's go people!" he ordered.

Some of the technicians gave questioning glances, but knew better than to argue. Within five minutes the ship moved away from the station and made all speed for Illium.

**Illium – 1 week later:**

"Wake up!"

She received a hard kick in the gut to punctuate the order. She slowly sat up, cradling her stomach, and glared at the armored turian that woke her so rudely.

"Only one week till they get here, Tava. One week till you get what's comin' to ya," he said.

"What exactly do you think they'll do to me?" she asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. I get paid; that's all that matters," he answered.

"They'll probably kill me, and then stuff me and use me as a decoration," she informed him.

"As long as it isn't me, I still don't care."

"You're full of heart. Wait, don't tell me, you're more concerned what your bank account is full of," she said.

"Now you're learning, not that it'll matter." He leaned against the wall and smiled at her.

"Did you come here to gloat then? To mess with me?" she asked.

"Actually, I came here to feed you. They want you alive when they get here."

He threw a sack at her that landed in front of her.

"That should last you till then," he said.

"And these manacles you have me in? Makes it kind of hard to eat," she noted.

"You'll figure something out," he mused and left the room, leaving her in the dark once again.

She kicked the sack away from her, thinking to starve to death would be preferable to facing Philip and Liandra. The sack fell open, and a large tessin hopped out. The blind, furless rodent scurried in her direction, no doubt sensing her body heat.

"Ah! No! Go away!"

She kicked at the white, buck toothed rodent landing a solid hit on its side that sent it scurrying to the far corner.

"Get it out of here! I know you're still out there!"

The bounty hunter laughed in response, and a chair creaked on the other side of the mirror.

_He means to leave it in here with me and watch!_

"Bastard!" she screamed.

She'd have to stay vigilant. Tessin weren't known for being discerning when they found something warm to burrow and hide in.

**Liandra's Favor – Tesale System:**

Philip drew the edge of the blade across the whetstone. The old hunting knife was a family heirloom passed on to him by his father.

"Still sharpening your knife I see," Liandra observed upon entering the room.

"It's not finished until it can cut glass," he replied.

She laughed at his obvious exaggeration.

"There are easier ways to do that you know," she stated.

"I like this way better. It feels more personal to run the edge of the blade across the whetstone. Kind of like you using a scalpel instead of a laser for your hobby," he explained. "I also find it therapeutic."

"Mmmm, really?"

"You wanna try?" he offered.

"Maybe later. We're almost there. Thought you'd like to know."

He put the whetstone down and cleaned the honing oil off the blade with a clean, white cloth.

"You'd think it were your lover the way you treat that knife," Liandra observed.

"It's a family heirloom of sorts. My great, great, great grandfather, or something like that, made it by hand. It's called a bowie knife."

He inspected the blade, looking for any notches along the edge.

_That'll have to do._

He sheathed the knife and followed Liandra to the bridge.

* * *

30 minutes later he stepped off the docking tube into the busy receiving area. People crowded the area, some watching the ships, some hocking wares, and some even had the audacity to ask if his ship would take them off planet.

He and Liandra rented a sky car to take them to a less savory part of the city of Nos Astra. The change wasn't subtle; the colorful lights and clean buildings surrendered to grime and poverty.

"I guess even one of the richest planets in the galaxy has its slums," he observed.

"And the Reapers had nothing to do with it I'm sure," she said, sneering.

They arrived at the address the bounty hunter gave them, a small warehouse that looked in better condition than its surroundings.

"Our bounty hunter friend obviously knows how to keep the rabble away," he mused.

"Or he has a reputation that keeps them away," she added.

"Good. That's the type we need."

He set the car down and the moment they exited the car they were greeted by a large turian.

"The credits cleared before you even landed. It's good to do business with such efficient employers," Tyvus said.

"And it's a pleasure to have hunters of such caliber on our payroll," Lyrel responded in kind.

"Any word from Nelen?" Tyvus asked.

"She's on the new Citadel. The _Black Widow_ is docked there. She's keeping an eye on them," Philip chimed in. "So, where's Tava? I have a bone to pick with her."

"Of course! Follow me!"

They followed Tyvus into the warehouse, which he converted into a labyrinth based on the amount of turns they had to make. He deactivated booby traps as they made their way through the maze.

"No wonder there's no squatters in here. They'd be insane to try," Lyrel observed.

"Some have tried to come in here, and they usually have to be cleaned up by their friends at gun point," Tyvus told them.

"Do you intend to keep the booby traps deactivated when you leave?" Philip asked.

"Why? If they want to squat in here, they'll have to work for it," Tyvus responded, grinning. "Besides, any of my competition looking to take me out will also have a nasty surprise."

"I think he'll fit in fine on the ship," Philip told Lyrel who snorted in response.

Tyvus led them into a room with a two way mirror. Through the window they saw Tava, dingy and malnourished. A white, furless rodent cowered in a corner opposite the room from Tava.

"Ugh! What's a tessin doing in there?" a disgusted Liandra asked.

"I put it in there with her as a bit of fun. She's kicked it a few times when it got too close, so now it mostly stays in its corner," Tyvus explained.

"I think it's time to have a reunion," Philip said. "Leave if you're squeamish."

They both stared at him.

"Right."

Philip entered Tava's holding cell and immediately covered his nose with his shirt. The smell of filth permeated the air.

"You've seen better days, Tava," Philip said once he got used to the smell.

She glared at him response.

"Ooo! That would almost be scary if you didn't look and smell like shit."

She sneered and looked at the corner of the room with the tessin.

"Do me a favor and kill that vermin in the corner. It creeps me out," she demanded.

"It's never done anything to me, unlike you."

She looked away again when he took his knife out and started sharpening it. He saw her cringe every time the blade scraped across the surface of the stone.

"So am I to become one of her trophies then?" she asked.

She used the mirror as an anchor for her gaze instead of looking at him.

"No. Her trophies are people she wants to remember. You, however, won't be remembered. Here, in this dingy, out of the way cell, you'll be forgotten."

He let it sink in before he continued.

"You remember this knife, right? How many times did you see me sharpen and clean it?"

She didn't respond, instead lowering her gaze to the floor. He grabbed her feet and pulled her away from the wall. Her back hit the floor with a thud.

"So weak you can't even sit up, eh? Then again, you always liked being on your back."

"Fuck you, Philip."

"No thanks!"

He propped her up against his chest and brought the knife to her throat.

"I get stage fright," he quipped and pointed at the tessin in the corner.

He gripped her chin and pulled back, making her look up at him. Loathing etched her face and she tried to spit on him, but only accomplished to get his hand wet. He wiped his hand on her shirt and then gripped her chin again.

It always amazed him how fragile the body is. The knife sliced into her neck like butter. She screamed in agony, but they turned to gurgles when the knife severed her vocal cords. Purple blood flowed over his hand while he sawed through her neck.

His arm felt exhausted by the time her head separated from the rest of the corpse. He pushed the corpse over as he stood back up and watched the tessin scurry toward the corpse.

"See? I still do favors," he said to Tava's disembodied head as he left the cell.

"I thought you told her she wouldn't become a trophy," Liandra stated while gesturing toward the head in his hands.

"So I lied," he responded.

He looked at the head and then addressed Liandra.

"Think you can do something with this?"

"Of course! But you're carrying that filthy thing back to the ship."

"I have something you can put it in," Tyvus offered. The turian looked at Philip's blood stained clothes. "I also have something you can change into."

* * *

Several hours later they returned to the ship. In that time, Tyvus gathered his things and reset the traps in the warehouse. They also made several stops to purchase supplies. Liandra felt it "prudent" not to dock with the citadel when they got there, so they bought enough to last them for a few months.

"I'm going to go stir crazy in here if we have to sit in that nebula for very long," Philip stated while placing a refrigerated case on his desk.

"You'll be fine," Liandra said. "Besides, I said the ship shouldn't dock. Never said we couldn't visit using our shuttles."

"Good. Not that I don't trust Nelen, but I'd like to take part in watching them as well," he said.

"Now, Philip. Don't get careless. We don't want them spotting us. Tyvus, Nelen, and Trian are all unknown to them. Let them do the footwork. They're getting paid enough for it."

"Yeah, whatever." He looked at the case on the desk. "So what do you have planned for the head?" he asked.

'Oh, I think we can mount it on the wall," she offered. "Isn't that something humans do with their prey?"

"Let's not mount it in view of the bed," he decided. "That would feel unsettling."

"To each their own," she relented.

She looked at the refrigerated case that held Tava's head.

"Speaking of mounting, we have a couple of hours left on the coolant. Let's talk about your little display back in the warehouse," she said, pulling him into their bed.


End file.
